Unit Six TEXT 1

... MEANWHILE, HUMANS EAT PET FOOD

Edward H. Peeples, Jr.

Objectives: to solve problems independently: interpreting at least 60% of the text independently,

about 80% of the text with peer collaborations, and understanding the text fully with the teacher’s aid.

to translate one para. into Chinese and then from this Chinese translation into English to compare the different use of language.

Pre-class work

1. Library work 1: American welfare & American people’s pet

2. Library work 2: Collect some brief information on the location and living conditions of the following places – the south of the USA, Cleveland, Great Lakes, Illinois, Richmond, Philadelphia, Ozarks, Indian reservations

3. Understand the author’s personal experiences of consuming pet food and his observations on human consumption of pet food by identifying the time, the place, the reason, and the feelings. 4. LW 6 & comp. 3

Pre-reading questions: 1. American welfare

For the poor and the unemployed, provided by the govt or religious groups, some People dependent, some ashamed because a failure in career, self-sufficient. 2. American people’s pet

--- What is a pet? What ‘pet food’ might be? (Pre-class work 1)

A pet is an animal kept as a companion, treated with care and affection, usually a cat or a dog. Pet food is tinned or canned food for pets.

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--- Is pet food meant for humans to eat? If not, under what circumstances might humans eat pet food? Is it harmful for humans to eat pet food? (Pre-class work 2) Pet food is not for humans to eat. Humans eat pet food when they cannot afford to buy decent food. Pet food may not be harmful for humans, but it is made of ingredients not meant for humans.

--- How can humans be prevented from eating pet food?

One way is to guarantee people job opportunities so that they can make a living.

In-reading interpretation Step one: (paras. 1-7)

This article seems to be a narration, telling the author’s personal experiences of consuming pet food and his observations on human consumption of pet food in the order of time sequence / in a chronological order. Try to understand his own experiences and observations one after another by completing the table below. WHEN my youth 2nd time in 1953 Next time I in 1956 Later in late 50’s Later ex perience New recruits when at home People … Great Lakes Illinois Naval Training Center Richmond in South Philadelphia, the South, Ozarks, Indian reservations Teacher raises questions as ‘When …, Who …, Where …, Why …, What’s the feeling …’ etc. Besides, the following discussion and explanations are needed.

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WHO acquaintances I WHERE In the South Cleveland WHY Poor Unem ployed FEELING Not uncommon, not startling, unavoidable Surreptitiously, humiliated, carefully guarded secret Ashamed to admit it 1st time in Neighbors & College No income Cheap er than others 1st time: (para. 1)

1. What do you know about the South of USA?

Refer to Lib. Work.

2. What was the poor living conditions in the South described in the 1st para.?

People lived in dilapidated houses with no running water, no refrigerator, no heat, no toilet and with the unrelenting stench of decaying insects (= a bad smell given off from decaying insects that does not go away). 3. It was not uncommon and startling to see …

In other words, eating pet food was the common diet practice in the South at that time. A lot of people was still poverty-stricken. 2nd time in 1953: (paras. 2-4)

1. Tell what you know about Cleveland.

Refer to Lib. Work.

2. Why did he go to Cleveland? Why couldn’t he get a job?

He went there to seek his fortune, but he couldn’t get a job because he was considered as a hillbilly (= a person from a backward area, here, a poor white from the south of the US).

So he saw no hopes. All the factories he asked for a job were pot-at-the-end-of-the-rainbow factories (Note 1)

Because of his unemployment, his nest egg (= an amount of money saved for future use, savings) dwindled to nothing and at the same time his hunger grew. Therefore, he had to have pet food as his principle ration for several weeks. 3. Why did he feel humiliated and why did he guarded the secret from others?

He felt humiliated because pet food was considered as the food consumed by the ‘trash’ (i.e. poor whites in the South – Note 2). He carefully guarded the secret from everyone because he feared being judged a failure.

It is generally accepted that failure is due to not working hard. Because of the failure in their career, they can’t get good pay. So they have to eat pet food if they are in a shortage of money. So those who eat pet food are considered as not diligently working people, as incapable people who fail in their career.

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4 A merciless pride … or family for help. In what sense is his ‘pride in

self-sufficiency’ referred to ‘merciless’? (i.e. why ‘merciless’)(LW 6 & comp. 3-3) I was so extremely proud of being independent financially that I had no intention of getting help from charity or from my friends or family.

He took so much pride in finding by himself the means for sustenance that he would not think of living on charity and asking for help. Consequently he would either have to starve or be reduced to eating pet food. Next time in 1956 (para. 5) 1. summer session

2. …fearing that … or that others who had ever less than I would feel... Sentence structure. Meaning : (Note 4) Later in the late 1950’s: (para. 6)

1. What do you know about the Great Lakes?

Refer to Lib. Work.

2. Why does the author claim he is not a disciplined scientist? a disciplined scientist = Note 5

I am not a scientist who does everything scientifically, accurately, based on experiment. So the data below is got from my rough estimation. Later experience: (para. 7) 1. Richmond

Philadelphia Ozarks

Indian reservations

Step two: (paras. 8-9)

After giving these examples of human eating pet food, what else does the author want to say in the following paras.?

1. While there do exist … consume pet food. (LW 6-2)

In spite of the fact that there are occasional scientific reports and commentary on

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