Help me again, pls.

Posted by Henry on September 14, 2004

In Reply to: Help me again, pls. posted by CjK on September 14, 2004

: : : : 1. It's all the fault, she decided, as the tall fellow drew something on the back of an envelope, something that **was to be looped up or left to hang**, of these absurd class distinctions.

: : : : I don't understand **was to be looped up or left to hang** .
: : : : ........

: : : : 2. - Laurie put his arm round her shoulder. "Don't cry," he said in his warm, loving voice. "Was it awful?"
: : : : - "No," sobbed Laura. "It was simply marvellous. But Laurie--" She stopped, she looked at her brother. "Isn't life," she stammered, "isn't life--" But what life was she couldn't explain. No matter. He quite understood.
: : : : ***- "Isn't it, darling?"*** said Laurie.

: : : : When Laurie said "Isn't it, darling?" , he meant "It is not life" or "It is life"?
: : : : Can you say it in other way? Thank you.

: : : Laura says, "Isn't life (wonderful)?"
: : : Laurie agrees and says, " Isn't it, darling?"
: : : He might have said simply Yes or Yes, it is.
: : : Sometimes the reply is Isn't it just, meaning Isn't it just wonderful!

: : : First question is trickier! It appears to be a drawing of something that can be hung up on a hook, perhaps by shaping it into a loop.
: : : I don't know if it has anything to do with class distinctions.

: : Thank you very much, Henry. I'm sorry that my text isn't clear. I don't know how to make better ones.

: : "It's all the fault of these absurd class distinctions" that why she cannot make friends with lower-class person. (It's in the previous paragraph.)

: : Can *something that was to be looped up or left to hang* mean that he drew a so good picture that should be hang on the wall? Is this possible?

: : The second :
: : Laura had seen a dead man in his peaceful sleeping.
: : "Was it awful?"
: : "No," sobbed Laura. "It was simply marvellous.*
: : Here they talked about death.
: : So, her *Isnt' life* means "Isn't life marvellous?" or "It isn't life." ... If it's the first one, why she said *But Laurie...*? Will *but* means anything?

: : Sorry that I ask for too trifling details. Hope you don't mind. Thank you again.

: ^_^ Dear Henry, I've got an idea about "Isn't life". Too bad that I don't know how to write it! Well, can that means "Is life just like this"?

2. "to be looped up" is an unusual phrase and is difficult to understand. I presume it refers to the subject of the drawing rather than the drawing itself. A drawing on the back of an envelope is unlikely to be worthy of display.

1. Isn't life ...valuable/fragile/whatever? is a rhetorical question. It could be replaced by a statement, "Life is valuable/fragile/whatever." Whatever Laura meant, Laurie understands and is in agreement with her. I can't say exactly what she meant!

• Thank you. CjK 15/September/04