Tyranny of the UrgentUnit 2

About the Title

Pre-reading Questions

Structure

TEXT STUDY

Useful Phrases

Translation

After-class Activities

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About the title

• tyranny:

• n. undue harshness; cruel, unjust or oppressive use of power or authority

• tyrant n. 暴君，独裁者 • tyrannous adj. 专横的，暴虐的• Urgent:

• adj. needing immediate attention, action or decision

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About priority

• Priority:

• 1. [U] ~ (over sb/sth) right to have or do sth before others 优先权 : – ★ I have priority over you in my claim.

• 2. [C] thing that is (regarded as) more important than others – ★ You must decide what your priorities are.

(idm 习语 ) get one's priorities right, wrong, etc

know/not know what is most important and act accordingly

★ Your trouble is you've got your priorities

back to front!

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Background information

• Charles E. Hummel 的《缓急之辨》、这本讲时间管理的小书，原书名 Tyranny of the Urgent ，有人译为「急事的奴隶」，也有译为「燃眉的暴政」，是帮助忙碌异常的现代人，在许多紧急事情中分辨先后的实用手册。

• 资料显示此书已在国外销售百万多册，而因《与成功有约》闻名的柯维，更在天下最近帮他出的新书《与时间有约》引用本书内容，诸此种种皆显示《缓急之辨》的重要。

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Some expressions of time

• Time flies.• Time is money.• Time heals most troubles.• Time cures all things.• Time is running out.• Time is up.• Time never stands still.• Time works wonders.• Time will tell if we’re right.• Lost time is never found again.

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Pre-reading questions

1. Do you often feel pressed by time? Do you hate meeting deadlines?

• 2. Do you think the busier you are, the more accomplished your life will be?

• 3. Do you know the difference between "the urgent" and "the important"?

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Structure analysis of the text (1)

• Paragraphs 1-2

• The first two paragraphs serve as an introduction. In the first paragraph, the writer mainly explains why people wish for a thirty-hour day. In the second, he goes on to explain why this extra time not help people much.

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Structure analysis of the text (2)• Paragraphs 3-5

• This is the main body of the essay. The writer explains the problem of priorities and explores the cause of “ tyranny of the urgent”

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Structure analysis of the text (3)• Paragraph 6

• This is the concluding part. In this paragraph, the writer comes to the conclusion that we have become slaves to the “tyranny of the urgent”.

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• 1.Have you ever wished for a thiry-four day? Surely this extra time would relieve the tremendous pressure under which we live. Our lives leave a trail of unfinished tasks. Unanswered letters, unvisited friends, unwritten articles, and unread books haunt quiet moments when we stop to evaluate. We desperately need relief.

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• 2. But would a thirty-hour day really solve the problem? Wouldn’t we soon be just as frustrated as we are now with our twenty-four allotment? A mother’s work is never finished, and neither is that of any student, teacher, minister, or anyone else we know. Nor will the passage of time help us catch up. Children grow in number and age to require more of our time. Greater experience in profession and church brings more exacting assignments. So we find ourselves working more and enjoying it less.

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• 3.When we stop to evaluate, we realize that our dilemma goes deeper than a shortage of time; it is basically the problem of priorities. Hard work does not hurt us. We all know what it is to go full speed for long hours, totally involved in an important task. The resulting weariness is matched by a sense of achievement and joy. Not hard work, but doubt and misgiving, produce anxiety as we review a month or year and become oppressed by the pile of unfinished tasks. We sense uneasily that we may have failed to do the important. The winds of people’s demands have driven us onto a reef of frustration. We confess, quite apart from our sins, “We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.”

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• 4. Several years ago an experienced cotton mill manager said to me, “Your greatest danger is letting the urgent things crowd out the important.” He didn’t realize how hard his maxim hit. It often returns to haunt and rebuke me by raising the critical problem of priorities.

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• 5. We live in constant tension between the urgent and the important. The problem is that the important task rarely must be done today or even this week. Extra hours of prayer and Bible study, a visit with the non-Christian friend, careful study of an important book: these projects can wait. But the urgent tasks call for instant action---endless demands pressure every hour and day.

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• 6. A man’s home is no longer his castle; it is no longer a place from urgent tasks because the telephone breaches the walls with imperious demands. The momentary appeal of these tasks seems irresistible and important, and they devour our energy. But in the light of time’s perspective their deceptive prominence fades; with a sense of loss we recall the important task pushed aside. We realize we’ve become slaves to the tyranny of the urgent.

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Text Analysis 1

Paragraphs 1-2 (Introduction)

--The writer mainly explains why people wish for a thirty-hour day and why this extra time may not help people much.

1) How does the author introduce this topic?

2) Why do people wish for a 30-hour day?

3) Does the author believe that this extra time

will help people to ease the pressure?

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Language points of Text I (1)

• a trail of: a long line or series of

• He went inside, leaving a trail of muddy footprints behind him.

• The hurricane has left a trail of destruction across much of the area.

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Language points of Text I (2)

• haunt (v.): to be persistently and disturbingly present, esp in sb's mindThe decision to leave her children now haunts her.

• A haunting melody. 萦绕心头的曲调• Thirty years after the fire he is still haunted by im

ages of death and destruction.

• haunt ［ n ］ (often pl 常作复数 ) place visited frequently by the person or people named （某某人）常去之处 :

• ★ This pub is a favourite haunt of artists. 这家小酒店是艺术家们喜欢光顾的地方 .

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Language points of Text I (3)

• allotment(n.): 1. an amount or share of sth such as money or time that is given to sb or sth;

• eg. the allotment of shares 股票分配• 2. the process of giving sth to sb;• 3. [C] (esp Brit) small area of public land rented fo

r growing vegetables or flowers

• allot sth (to sb/sth): give (time, money, duties, etc) as a share of what is available; apportion sth

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Paragraphs 3-5 --The main body of the essay. The writer explains the problem of priorities and explores the cause of “tyranny of the urgent.”

1) What is the problem of priorities? 2) When are people liable to frustration?

3) Why do people often delay an important task?

Text Analysis 2

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Language points of Text I (4)

• Dilemma: a situation in which one has to make a difficult choice between two courses of action, both perhaps equally desirable

• The doctor’s dilemma was whether he should tell the patient the truth or not.

• The manager finds himself in a dilemma over how to tackle the crisis.

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Language points of Text I (5)

• misgiving(n.): a feeling of doubt about what might happen (C. often pl.)

• I have many misgivings about taking the job.

• The plan seemed utterly impractical and I was filled with misgiving about it.

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Language points of Text I (6)

• a reef of frustration: a metaphor describing the hidden, inescapable feeling of frustration caused by unfinished tasks.

.

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Language points of Text I (7)• cotton-mill(adj.): 棉纺厂的

• crowd out: crowd sb/sth out (of sth) • （ a ） keep sb/sth out of a space by filling it oneself • 　　★ The restaurant's regular customers are being

crowded out by tourists. • （ b ） prevent sb/sth from operating successfully 排挤

某人 [ 某事物 ]: • 　　★ Small shops are being crowded out by the big

supermarkets. 小商店受到大型超级市场不断排挤 . • Pressure on study space has crowded out new students

from many university libraries.• The article was crowded out of yesterday’s edition. •

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Language points of Text I (8)

• maxim(n.): a short saying that expresses sth that is usually true or a rule for good and sensible behavior

• Aesop’s fables illustrate moral maxim. • Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy,

wealthy and wise. • Waste not, want not. • East, west, home is best.• A stitch in time saves nine.

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Language points of Text I (9)

• rebuke(v.): ~ sb (for sth). express sharp or severe disapproval to sb, esp officially; reprove sb

• [rebuke(n.)]

• She rebuked him strongly for his negligence. • My boss rebuked me for coming to work lat

e.• He was rebuked for cheating.

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Text analysis 3

• Paragraph 6- the concluding part

The writer comes to the conclusion that we have become slaves to the “tyranny of the urgent.”

1) Why does the author say: “ A man’s home is no longer his castle”?

2) What does “tyranny of the urgent”

mean?

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Language points of Text I (10)

• breach(v.): to make an opening in a wall or fence

• Our tanks have breached the enemy defenses.• They breached the agreement they had made with

their employer.• breach(n. a failure to do sth that must be done by

law eg a breach of contract; an action that breaks an agreement to behave in a particular way; an opening)

• Your action is a breach of our agreement. • You are in breach of your contract.

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Language points of Text I (11)

• imperious(adj.): proud and arrogant; domineering; expecting obedience 傲慢的 ; 飞扬跋扈的 ; 专横的 :

• She sent them away with an imperious wave of hand.

• We all dislike her for her imperious gesture. • [imperiously(adv.) imperial(adj. connected with a

n empire or the system for measuring) imperialism(n.) imperialist(n.) imperil(v. to put sth/sb in danger)]: The security of the country has been imperilled.

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Language points of Text I (12)

• devour: to use up all of something; to eat hungrily and in large quantities, so that nothing remains

• She devoured the new detective story.

• The young cubs hungrily devoured the deer that lion had killed.

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Language points of Text I (13)

• in the light of: in view of sth; considering sth

• In the light of recent incidents, we are asking the customs to take particular care of their personal belongs.

• In the light of this information, it is now possible to identify a number of key issues.

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Language points of Text I (14)

• prominence: the fact or quality of being well-known and important

• He came to prominence during the World Cup in Italy.

• The newspapers are giving the affair considerable prominence.

• a young writer who has recently come to/into prominence 近来崭露头角的青年作家

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Language points of Text I (15)

• More exacting assignment: • demanding more care, effort and attention.

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Language points of Text I (16)

• The momentary appeal of the tasks seems irresistable and important ...

weighed on my mind; affected me.

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Language points of Text I (17)

• We realize we’ve become slaves to the … : been dominated by

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Useful expressions

• Tyranny of the urgent 急事的施虐• Extra time

• Tremendous pressure

• Leave a trail of unfinished tasks

• Unanswered letters, unvisited friends, unwritten articles, unread books haunt quiet moments

• Desperately need relief 急切地需要放松

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• Grow in number and age

• Exacting assignments 艰巨的任务• Catch up the passage of time

• Shortage of time

• The problem of priorities

• Go full speed for long hours

• Totally involved in an important task

• The resulting weariness

• A sense of achievement and joy

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• The pile of unfinished tasks• Doubt and misgiving produce anxiety as we

review a month or year.• Become oppressed • Demands have driven us onto a reef of

frustration.• Apart from our sins• We have left undone those things, which we

ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done.

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• Let the urgent things crowd out of the important.

• Raise the critical problems of priorities

• How hard his maxim hit.

• We live in constant tension between the urgent and the important.

• The urgent task calls for instant action.

• Endless demands pressure every hour and day.

• A man’s home is no longer his castle.

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• The telephone breaches the walls with imperious demands.

• The momentary appeal of those urgent tasks seems irresistible and important.

• Devour our energy

• In the light of time’s perspective

• Deceptive prominence fades.

• A sense of loss

• Push aside

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Translation exercises

• 他时常想起孩提时代的往事。（ haunt ）• Memories of his childhood haunted him.

• 需要更多的志愿者来完成这项辛苦的工作。（ exacting ）

• More volunteers are needed to finish the exacting work.

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Exercises (2)

• 住房是我首先要解决的事情。（ priority ）• Housing ranks first on my list of priorities.

• 父亲责骂儿子懒惰。（ rebuke ）• Father rebuked his son for being lazy.

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Exercises (3)

• 富兰克林 (Franklin) 在《致富之路》 (The Way to Wealth) 中给了读者许多有关取得现世成功的格言。（ maxim ）

• In his The Way to Wealth, Franklin gave readers many maxims on how to achieve earthly.

• 他的蛮横态度是我受不了的。（ imperious ）

• His imperious manner was more than I could bear.

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Exercises (4)

• 那次火灾烧毁了森林。 (devour)

• The fire devoured the forests.

• 这份报纸不接受任何欺骗性的广告。(deceptive)

• The newspaper won’t accept any deceptive advertisements.

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Oral activities

Organize yourselves into groups of five or six and discuss the following issue.

• Do you think the world is partly created by lazy people?

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Oral activities

Organize yourselves into groups of five or six and discuss the following issue:

In view of time management, do you think efficiency is the best description of good time management? What is the relationship between efficiency and effectiveness? Which is more important?

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Writing practice (1)

Write a composition of about 200 words on the following topic:

Time

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Sieze the day!