English Class

English Class

Today’s English class is crucial, so we all need to be alert. In this class I am providing an editorial of The Hindu for your perusal. Mr. N. Ram, Editor-in-Chief, The Hindu, told me that he is “happy” to grant me the permission of using this editorial. I will try to chop off the important parts from it which would provide us the idea of how to choose the bright expressions from a piece.

Israeli aggression against Gaza

Courtesy: The Hindu

Regardless of the supposed provocation, Israel’s brutish military onslaught on the Gaza Strip marks a new low even by the Zionist state’s habit of using disproportionate and lawless force against the people of Palestine. To understand why Israel is politically and morally wrong in the present case, one need not go back as far as its 1967 invasion and occupation of Palestinian territory, an original sin that has yet to be reversed despite United Nations resolutions and more than a decade of the ‘Middle East Peace Process.’ The events of the past few years — the failure to accept the victory of Hamas in a democratic election, the inhuman blockade, frequent air strikes, and the expedient violations of the ceasefire — provide sufficient grounds to condemn Tel Aviv for the tragedy that is under way today in the glorified penal colony known as Gaza. Israeli air strikes have already claimed the lives of more than 300 women, children, and men. There is talk of a ground invasion as well. To be sure, the firing of rockets by Palestinian militants into Sderot, Ashkelon, and other Israeli towns near the border with Gaza was an act of mindless provocation that fed neatly into the aggressive mindset that was building up inside political Israel. The country will soon go to the polls and the leadership there knows that the best way to burnish their credentials is war. The probable goal is the pipe dream of destroying Hamas, not just weakening it. That is why Gaza has been put to the sword. The rocket attacks, which claimed their first Israeli casualty only after the air strikes began, were an excuse. With Hamas calling for a third Intifada, including a return to ‘martyrdom’ operations, against Israeli occupation, the stage is set for further bloodshed.

The latest Israeli war crimes come at a time when the Palestinian movement itself remains divided and the Bush administration is on its way out. Barack Obama initially held out the promise of a more even-handed American approach to Israel but his presidential campaign saw him embracing the same kind of amoral support for Tel Aviv that U.S. politicians invariably display. Nevertheless, it is possible that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided not to take any chances and to use the interregnum to present the incoming Obama administration with a fait accompli. Either way, it is unlikely that Washington will use its considerable influence to get Tel Aviv to back off and end this bloody assault. True to form, the United Kingdom finds itself out of sync with France and the European Union, which have condemned the disproportionate use of force and the “unacceptable toll on Palestinian civilians.” The Manmohan Singh government has done well to oppose the Israeli aggression. But what Israel needs to be told by India and the civilised world is that so long as it denies the Palestinians the right to exist as a nation, a people, and as human beings, it cannot hope to secure itself.
http://www.hindu.com/2008/12/30/stories/2008123054740800.htm
With permission from The Hindu


Well, I hope you carefully read this excellent piece. Now let’s chip out the bright parts from it.

Mark the usage of the word “low” in the first sentence. 'Regardless of the supposed provocation, Israel’s brutish military onslaught on the Gaza Strip marks a new low even by the Zionist state’s habit of using disproportionate and lawless force against the people of Palestine.' The meaning of “low” here is “Violating the standards of morality or decency; mean.” Using small words in such a manner shows the writer’s command on the language.

Burnish: v. 1. To make smooth or polished by rubbing. 2. To rub with an apparatus that is especially to smooth or polish. 'The country will soon go to the polls and the leadership there knows that the best way to burnish their credentials is war.'

Amoral: adj. 1. Without admitting the moral differences or judgments; neither moral nor immoral. 2. Short of moral feeling; without caring about right and wrong. 'Barack Obama initially held out the promise of a more even-handed American approach to Israel but his presidential campaign saw him embracing the same kind of amoral support for Tel Aviv that U.S. politicians invariably display.'

Interregnum: n. 1. The gap of time between the end of a ruler’s reign and the accession of a successor. 2. A time of brief suspension of the functions in routine of government or control. 3. A break in continuity. 'Nevertheless, it is possible that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided not to take any chances and to use the interregnum to present the incoming Obama administration with a fait accompli.'

Idioms

Fait accompli n. A decision or deed which has already been made and which cannot be changed. ‘Nevertheless, it is possible that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert decided not to take any chances and to use the interregnum to present the incoming Obama administration with a fait accompli.’

A pipe dream: A plan or an idea which would never happen as it is impossible. ‘The probable goal is the pipe dream of destroying Hamas, not just weakening it.’

True to form: If anyone does anything true to form, they behave in the bad manner which was supposed. ‘True to form, the United Kingdom finds itself out of sync with France and the European Union, which have condemned the disproportionate use of force and the “unacceptable toll on Palestinian civilians.”’

Combinations of words

Mindless provocation: ‘To be sure, the firing of rockets by Palestinian militants into Sderot, Ashkelon, and other Israeli towns near the border with Gaza was an act of mindless provocation that fed neatly into the aggressive mindset that was building up inside political Israel.’

Aggressive mindset: ‘To be sure, the firing of rockets by Palestinian militants into Sderot, Ashkelon, and other Israeli towns near the border with Gaza was an act of mindless provocation that fed neatly into the aggressive mindset that was building up inside political Israel.’

Considerable influence: ‘Either way, it is unlikely that Washington will use its considerable influence to get Tel Aviv to back off and end this bloody assault.’

So this was today’s English class. Your homework is to learn the chipped out part, reread the editorial, and write it in your own words. If you wish, you can send it to me as well. I will tell how is it, and if it had any flaws, I will try to strike them out. Remember, If I used your piece your name would be changed. You can also submit your works as an anonymous person in the comment box.