Open the Door to Forgiveness

Unit 16Text 1

Teaching Objectives Practice giving suggestions step by step; Discuss how one can forgive; Learn to use the correct possessive forms. Learn to use the following structures:

Suppose…, …. …, lest somebody (should) do …

Before Reading Global Reading Detailed Reading After Reading

Before Reading Background Information

About the author:

Lewis B. Smedes is the best-selling author of more than 15 books and professor emeritus of theology and ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. The text is condensed from his book Forgive and Forget: Healing the Hurt We Don’t Deserve.

When a heinous act is committed, sometimes one wonders if forgiveness is even possible. Lewis B. Smedes would certainly advise it. "When we forgive," he says, "we set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner we set free is us." In an easy-to-read yet astute analysis of the meaning and value of forgiveness, Smedes teaches us that more than anything, forgiveness is a way of healing. He takes as his model the Christian God and outlines the many subtleties involved in forgiveness, such as distinguishing anger from hate, and noting that we only forgive those we blame (including ourselves). Forgetting may be more difficult, but at least this passage can help us along the path toward release and healing.

Lewis B. Smedes Quotes : Forgiving does not erase the bitter past. A healed

memory is not a deleted memory. Instead, forgiving what we cannot forget creates a new way to remember. We change the memory of our past into a hope for our future.

It takes one person to forgive, it takes two people to be reunited. .

To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. .

Before Reading

Warm-up Questions: Have you ever been hurt by someone els

e? Then , have you tried to forgive him or her?

Is it hard for you to forgive the one who hurts you? What makes it so hard?

“ To err is human, to forgive, divine”. How far do you agree ?

Global Reading

What is the writer’s attitude towards forgiveness?

How many specific suggestions does the writer give us?

How many parts can this passage be divided into?

Structural Analysis

Detailed Reading Paragraphs 1-2 Paragraphs 3-5 Paragraph 6 Paragraphs 7-9 Paragraphs 10-12 Paragraphs 13-16 Paragraphs 17-18 Paragraph 19-22 Paragraph 23

Paragraphs 1-2

Question:

What is the main idea of these two paragraphs? What kind of message does the writer intend to convey to us?

Paragraphs 1-2Language work

it’s surgery of the soul, the loving, healing way to create new beginnings out of past pain.

You did not deserve the hurt and it has lodged itself in your memory, where it keeps on hurting.

We all muddle our way through a world where even well-meaning people hurt one another. A friend betrays us; a parent abuses us; a spouse leaves us. We all made some

silly mistakes due to our carelessness or the confusing state

Paragraphs 3-5

Questions: How does the writer propose the right

approach to the matter? How does the writer comment on

forgiveness and hate?

Language work

Philosopher Hannah Arendt believes that the only power that can stop the stream of painful memories is the “faculty of forgiving”.

Our sense of fairness tells us that people should pay for the wrong they do. But in forgiving we can move from hurting and hating to healing and reconciliation.

Hate is a malignancy that festers and grows, stifling joy and threatening our health. It hurts the hater more than the hated. It must be cut-out---for our own sake.

Paragraph 6

Question: What is the function of this paragraph? What does the writer compare freeing a

trapped butterfly to?

Para. 6

How can you let go of a hurt, the way a child opens his hands and frees a trapped butterfly? Here are guidelines to help you begin to forgive.

Paragraphs 7-9

Question:

What does Liz’s case indicate? What is the first problem in our attempt to

achieve forgiveness?

Language work

Confront your malice. …But the fury denied rages beneath the surface and infects all our relationships.

We must acknowledge what has happened, face up to the other person and say: “ You did me wrong”.

Instead , his report was so critical of her performance that the dean advised her to look for another job. Liz hated the chairman for betraying her, but she needed a recommendation from his. When he said how sorry he was that his support could not convince the dean, she pretended to believe him.

Paragraphs 10-12

Questions:

What is the second guideline for forgiveness?

Language work:

The Bible describes, in the ancient drama of atonement, how God took a bundle of human sins off man’s back, tied it to a goat,…. . Forgiving is finding a new vision of the person who has wronged us, the person stripped of his sins---who really lives beneath the cloak of his wrongdoing.

The first gift we get when we separate the wrong from the wrongdoer is insight.

At 16 my adopted daughter, Cathy, was a hothead who bitterly resented her natural mother for giving her away.

Cathy’s new understanding brought her resentment down to forgiving size.

Paragraphs 13-16

Question:

How does “ Let go of the past” contribute to forgiveness?

.

Language work:

She could have mortgaged her future to hate

Paragraphs 17-18

Question:

What does C. S. Lewis’s example indicate?

As a boy, the British scholar C.S. Lewis was badly hurt by a bully of a teacher.

Paragraphs 19-22

According to the writer, is forgiveness a sign of weakness?

How does the writer think of “ an eye for an eye”?

Paragraphs 19-22

Some say that forgiveness is unjust because the wrongdoer should not be let off the hook.

Vengeance never evens the score.

We must finally be reconciled with our foe, lest we both perish in the vicious circle of hatred.

In mutual forgiveness, they creatively combined their weaknesses and strengths to forge a far healthier relationship without illusions.

Paragraph 23

In this concluding paragraph, the writer reiterates his view that forgiveness can heal the hurt and create a new beginning.

heal To restore to health or soundness; cure.

The wound on my arm soon healed over/up, but it left a scar. Time heals all sorrows.

compare heal, treat and cureheal , both transitive and intransitive , suggests becoming healthy again, or causing sth to end. treat, means to give medical aid to counteract (a disease or condition):

– Last year this hospital treated over forth cases of sunstroke.

cure, to effect a recovery from - I hope the doctor can cure the pain in my shoulder.

deserve

To be worthy of; merit. She deserves a reward for her efforts. That article deserves careful study.

lodge To live in a place temporarily:

The guests are well lodged in the reception centre.

To provide with temporary quarters, especially for sleeping: Jack lodges travelers in the shed.

To serve as a depository for; contain: This cabinet lodges our oldest wines.

To place, leave, or deposit, as for safety: This incident has lodged in my memory.

muddle

To confuse : The lesson was not clear and it has muddled me..

To mix confusedly; jumble (usually muddle up): You're muddling up the papers.

To get on in a foolish or helpless way, with no clear purpose or plan. ( muddle on/along) Since he was set free from the prison, he just muddles

along.

Well-meaning

Aiming or aimed at good results: Think before you leap because a well-meaning person c

an also hurt others. ad. + v-ing/n

Our president will kick off his three-day official good-will visit to Russia.

Steve is one of the most hard-working students in my class.

betray To be unfaithful to .

We can never betray our motherland. To deliver into the hands of an enemy in violation

of a trust or allegiance. Judas betrayed Jesus to the authorities.

To make known unintentionally Her hollow laugh betrayed her contempt for the idea.

To allow a secret to be known. The officer betrayed the secret to his friends.

abuse v. To say unkind or rude things to:

How dare he abuse others publicly? v. To use wrongly or improperly; misuse.

“We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us” (Aldo Leopold).

n. Insulting or coarse language: A stream of abuse came from his lips.

n. Improper use or handling; misuse: he was a victim of drug abuse.

faculty Any of the powers or capacities possessed by the human

mind. She has the faculty to learn languages easily..

Any of the divisions or comprehensive branches of learning at a college or university: You can choose the Faculty of Arts or the Faculty of Science if you

agree to enter our university. The teachers and instructors within such a division; all of

the members of a learned profession: That university boasts an excellent mathematics faculty. A faculty meeting is being held now.

Pay for

Give money for goods or service you get: The lady paid $3,000 for the coat.

To receive punishment or suffering for something. With a lifelong prison sentence, he’s paying

dearly for his crimes now.

reconciliation

The act of making people become friends again after they have quarreled. He refused the reconciliation with his father.

The act of settling or arranging a quarrel. The UN General Secretary’s reconciliation does

not bring forth a satisfactory result.

fester

To be or become an increasing source of irritation or poisoning; become resentful: The resentment festers in his mind.

(of a cut or wound) fill with poisonous matter It's lucky that the wound did not fester.

Cut out

To stop. The abuse of power must be cut out.

Let go of

Release, set free. If you two want to make up after the quarrel,

you have to let go of the unpleasant past. First let go of those odds and ends, and then

you calm down and ponder over this matter carefully.

.

trapped

Unable to move , being treated. The tiger was trapped in the hole. He felt trapped because he could not escape

until he is paid for the work.trap. v.: block, stop. trap. n.: device for catching animals. The hunter set a trap for the wild animals. The police set a trap for the thieves.

guideline

A statement or other indication of policy or procedure by which to determine a course of action.Instruction on how something should be done. The central government are drawing up guideli

nes on prices and incomes .

confront

Face bravely: She has confronted the sexual discrimination

with great courage. be confronted with: To bring face to face

with I am confronted with many difficulties. The defendant was confronted with

incontrovertible evidence of guilt.

fury

Violent anger; rage. Mary would fly into a fury for the slightest

reason. Violent, uncontrolled action; turbulence.

At last the fury of the storm passed.

rage

Outburst of furious. The child flew into a rage at the mere mention of his toy

gun.

A current, eagerly adopted fashion; a fad or craze: Torn jeans are all the rage now.

acknowledge

To admit the existence, reality, or truth of. I acknowledge the truth of his statement.

To express recognition of: He was acknowledged to be the best player. It is universally acknowledged that dogs have

an acute sense of smell.

Face up to

To be brave enough to meet. You have to face up to the tough moments in

your life. He was accused of not facing up to his

responsibility as a father.

critical

Scolding, fault-finding The supervisor seems to be critical of my paper. His expressed his critical attitude towards the

war. of or at a crisis

Just at the critical moment, the police came and rescued the hostage.

recommendation

The act of praising as being good for a purpose. A letter of recommendation is needed on

applying for an overseas university.

convince

To bring by the use of argument or evidence to firm belief or a course of action. He convinced me that I should study law. It took many hours to convince the court of his

guilt.

wrong

v .To treat unjustly or injuriously You wrong me if you think I only did it for selfish

reasons.

n. An unjust or injurious act They have done us a great wrong.

strip

To remove or take away He stripped the skin from the banana. The manager was stripped of his title after the

accident. He stripped the paper off the wall. John stripped off his shirt.

insight

The capacity of using one’s mind to understand the true nature of a situation. Our headmaster is a man with great insight. He has a real insight into the nature of human

being.

hothead

A person who does things without thinking. hot potato: 棘手的事情 hot-blood: 易发怒的人 hot foot: adv. 匆忙地 Hot-tempered: 性情暴躁的

Bring…down.

To decrease, become fewer or less. The cold ice can help to bring down your baby’s

temperature. To cause to fall.

They brought down a hostile aircraft in the battle.

mortgage

To give somebody a claim on property as a security for payment of a debt or loan. The desperate man had to mortgage a room to

the rich man for $700. The house has been mortgaged to the bank for

$3,000.

bully

n. A person who is habitually cruel or overbearing, especially to smaller or weaker people.

v. To force one's way aggressively or by intimidation: He's always bullying smaller boys..

Let off the hook

To free someone from blame; to go on without being punished; to be out of trouble. It is impossible for him to be let off the hook

because he is the real wrongdoer. When the tiger attempts to get off the hook, the

dangerous thing happened.

vengeance

revenge, the return of injury for injury. “Something of vengeance I had tasted for the first time.

An aromatic wine it seemed”(Charlotte Brontë)“ 我第一次尝到报复的滋味。它似乎是一种芳香的醇酒” ( 夏洛特 · 勃朗特 )

with a vengeance: With great violence or force; to an extreme degree:

December has turned cold with a vengeance. 十二月已经是透骨寒冷了

score

Account or record of money owing; existing resentment. I have some old scores to settle with that fellow.

我和那家伙有些老账要清算。 Points got in an examination. 分数 Cut or scratch made on a surface. 刻痕 Reason, account. 理由，缘故

reconcile

To reestablish a close relationship between. The estranged couple reconciled after a year.

To bring (oneself) to accept: He finally reconciled himself to the change in

management.. To make compatible or consistent:

I will try to reconcile my way of thinking with yours..

lest

In case,( it introduces an adverbial clause). I obeyed her lest she should be angry. She tiptoed lest the guard should hear her.

vicious

Having the nature of vice; evil, immoral He approached her with vicious intention.

imperfect, or otherwise impaired by defects or a defect Who is responsible for the vicious textbook? vicious circle: state of affairs in which a cause procduce

s an effect which itself produces the original cause, so continuing the whole process. 恶性循环

strip

To remove or take away “He stripped the skin from the banana”. The manager was stripped of his title after the

accident. He stripped the paper off the wall. John stripped off his shirt.

forge To give form or shape to, especially by means of

careful effort: They finally forged a close relationship through all these

hardships. Furnace

Everything new comes from the forge of hard and bitter struggle..

To make a copy of something. They forged a passport .

After Reading

Structural Analysis Summary Additional exercises Collocation of words Oral Work Writing

Summary

A. The text could be broadly divided into three parts according to the development of sequence. Please write a summary for each part.

Paragraphs 1-6 Paragraphs 7-22 Paragraph 23

Structural Analysis

Parts Paragraphs Main Ideas

1

2The author put forward his four guiding principles to help us begin to forgive.

3 In this concluding paragraph, the writer reiterates his view that forgiveness can heal the hurt and create a new beginning.

Paragraphs 1 to 6

Paragraphs 7 to 22

Paragraph 23

Hurting each other is a common phenomenon, the sensible reaction is to forgive.

B. Please use one sentence to summarize the main idea of the text.

Check the grammar exercises in the student book

Additional exercises:

Improve the following sentences where necessary; Pay attention to the possessive forms:

1 The table’s leg is broken. 2 Mrs Taylor has completed a study on bird’s nests. 3 This weeks’ news is somewhat more hopeful than the last two week’s. 4 A sensitive person is aware of other’s problems. 5 The friend of my father’s called this morning. 6 A wheel of the car’s was broken. 7 He was interested in the long poems of Milton’s.

Check the vocabulary exercises in the student book

Additional exercise:Collocation of words

Please fill in the blank with an appropriate words with the hint given in the parentheses.

1. These people (to be worthy of )our help.

2. They ( to encounter, face up to) danger at every turn.

3. I take an umbrella with me ____________ (in case) it should rain.

Oral WorkCiting the examples in your life, exchange your

experiences of forgiving. The dialogue should contain some information gap, so the form of questions and answers should be adopted.

When did it happen? Where did it happen? Who hurt you? What was it like? Why did you decide to forgive him or her? How did you feel after you forgave him or her?

WritingA. Write a piece of narration based on the oral wor

k you have. You have to make the whole matter clear and employ some proper adjectives to describe your feeling at that moment.

B. “To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you”

Lewis B. Smedes Do you agree? Give your opinion of it within 250

words.