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1、Stylistic Analysis on “Yes, But” Arguing in Notes on the English Character 摘要：“以退为进”是许多作者在阐述个人观点时所运用的一种策略。它不仅有助于建立双方交流观点的和谐气氛，更能达到比直言反驳更为有效的论述效果。本文通过分析关于英国人性格的笔记一文，从语气、用词、修辞手法、文章结构几个方面来分析“以退为进”论述策略在文中具体体现，再纵观全文得出作者不同于传统议论文的论述方法：首先确定本文论述的对象，定位本文观点的反对者，以温和的态度肯定其部分观点，体现自己的客观态度，再根据对方论点的弱点进行驳斥，从而用自己的观点说服
2、对方，说服读者。Introduction “Yes, but” strategy is very useful in arguing. The speaker first concedes something to his opponents, for example, that they are well-intentioned or that their arguments are at least worth considering. He may even admit that some of them are sound. Then comes the powerful refuta
3、tion and further elaboration, later silencing the opponents. The process is like practicing boxing. Keep the fists first and then make an advance and give the adversary a dead blow. In Notes on the English Character, Forster analyzes the “undeveloped” emotional nature of Englishmen and shows that th
4、ey are not as cold and indifferent as they appear to be. They are misunderstood because they measure out their emotional responses prudently. This smart strategy makes a great contribution to achieving the authors purpose and appealing to readers. It is embodied in four aspects: tone, choice of word
5、s, figure of speech and text structure.ToneIn “yes, but” arguing, before the presentation of the counterarguments, it is of importance to create a harmonious environment where people would like to hear your ideas without resistance. Tone is a useful tool for achieving the effect.In Notes on the Engl
6、ish Character, Forster chooses to use the first person pronoun to talk in a relaxed and friendly manner. His ideas are expressed in a calm and gentle tone, which turns the argument into an easy conversation between friends. Having seen so many people who seriously and mechanically pump their ideas i
7、nto our mind, we really feel comfortable to listen to Forster. The arguing is rendered interesting by some proverbs such as “let the cat out of the bag”, “get fire out of ice”, “bottle up his emotions” and striking similes such as “measuring emotions like potatoes”, “slopping them about like water f
8、rom the pail”, “as various as the sand of the sea”, etc. Besides, the author is good at spicing such a dull contention with flashes of humor. In order to illustrate that the English is afraid to feel, he makes a jokeif an Englishman overreacts to a thing, “his pipe might fall out”. In the concluding
9、 part, he describes the English character as “unique” instead of “somewhat eccentric and annoying”, recognizing the personality weakness and also reserving the decency of his compatriots. Overall, the informal tone is a suitable vehicle for communicating the view Forster holds with regard to English
10、 character.Choice of Words Apart from the tone, diction should also be minded to serve the “yes, but” strategy. The author should not appear aggressive but objective. Not only does it show the authors respect for others ideas, but also foreshadows his strong “counterattack”further arguing. In this p
11、rose, Forster is very particular and careful in his choice of words to make his ideas acceptable.Here, I will take Paragraph 12 for example. The author intends to clear Englishmens name of being hypocritical. Instead of directly denying this “the prime charge”, the author first admits partially this
12、 argument. He states, “The English are sometimes hypocrites.” Here, “sometimes” is a smart move. Objectively, the author acknowledges the human frailties of Englishmen. Besides, this word leaves some room for his counter-arguing. Then, Forster uses “painful” to show his vexation about this situation
13、, showing his concern. Later, he cites deep-rooted characters of different nations, such as Germany, Spanish and Americathey are “called” brutal, cruel, and superficial respectively. The passive voice of “called” is used to indicate that these human defects are labeled by others. At this point, we w
14、ould spontaneously think of our own stereotyped national images and feel upset about this subjective and biased evaluation by those who do not know our countries well. Thus, we begin to experience Forsters embarrassment and agree with his implication. Then, Forster presents us a typical image of Eng
15、lishmen“a Bible in one hand, a pistol in the other and financial concessions in both pockets”. On one hand, the English preach peace, mercy and forgiveness. On the other hand, they intend to conquer the world with ambition, greed and cruelty. The two contradictory aspects indeed reveal the dual face
16、 of Englishmen. Whats more, the dual face serves for the economic interests they are thirsting for. After the foreshadowing, then comes the rebuttal. The “yes, but” structure appears: “Is the charge true? I think it is; but ” Here, “yes, but”, as a marker, gives us a signal that the author begins to
17、 present his viewpoints. The authors own interpretation of “hypocrisy” is given. He describes two kinds of “hypocrisy” as “conscious deceit” and “unconscious deceit”, one is morally wrong and despicable and the other acceptable and forgivable. He claims that the English belong to the second one. The
18、y are “led” into wrong actions unconsciously, not performing them on purpose. They “muddle” themselves and lack “mental clearness”. All these result from the chief culpritthe public school education. Therefore, the author holds that the English are “comparatively guiltless” of this. Here, the word “
19、comparatively” still reflects the concept of “retreat for advancing”. For the opponents, it is a relief that the deceive acts by Englishmen is admitted. Meanwhile, the author insists that the muddle-headed English are not evil and cruel in nature. Then, he comes to a conclusion that the accusation o
20、f hypocrisy is not true. Although the following example of Sense and Sensibility which complements the rebuttal part cannot convince me, I still think that this “yes, but” strategy helps to present the arguments in a more expressive way, at least to make us reflect on some long-hold ideas. Figure of
21、 Speech Figure of speech is another variation of “yes, but” strategy. By employing satire, pun and metaphor, the author tries to lead us to a more intuitive and profound understanding of his way of arguing.In this prose, the author holds that the public school system hinders the mental development o
22、f English people. Instead of attacking it impatiently and aggressively, he offers humorous satire for readers to think. In this case, the “but” part is processed in our brain. In Paragraph 3, the author first talks about the different employments the students of the public school will take on after
23、graduation. He adds, “If through some mishap he does not become a manual worker or an artist.” Here, he ridicules the intolerance of this rigid system. Some troubles will not break the students dream about his future, for only one mistake is disastrous. This fact gives us a strong impact and brings
24、us to stand on Forsters side to oppose against the harsh and rigid rules of the public school system. Then, he mentions the euphoria Englishmen experience when they recall the time spent in school. “And they prolong that time as best they can by joining their Old Boys society; indeed, some of them r
25、emain Old Boys and nothing else for the rest of their lives.” Here, a pun on “Old Boys” intensifies the satirical effect. The phrase literally refers to the school leavers who have completed their study. In another sense, “Old Boys” mean the conformists who are conservative and traditional-minded. T
26、he students feel regret about the end of the simple school life when they have to begin their social ventures. Therefore, they try to keep that memorable time longer. The Old Boys Society offers those a chance to immerse themselves in the past, in other words, unwilling to face reality and even futu
27、re. This nave idea stands in the way of their complete maturation. Finally, they will achieve “nothing else for the rest of their lives”.Besides, Foster makes use of metaphor which appeals to our experience and senses, in order to lead us into his grounds of argument and lay the foundation for furth
28、er counterstroke. In paragraph 10, to defend the English against the accusation of being simple and insensitive, the author compares English character to a sea. First comes the concession part. From a distance, the sea is “of one color and level”, like the “air of simplicity” the English bear. Then,
29、 he swiftly enters into the retorting part with the marker “but”. There are many things hidden under the seemingly even surface of the sea. The depths and colors are “English romanticism and the English sensitivity”. The fish under the tranquil sea water are the emotions that do not easily surface.
30、And the flying fish stands for the intense outburst of the emotional richness and literary creativity of the English. Finally, he concludes that “it is a proof that beauty and emotion exist in the salt, inhospitable sea”. Thus, it echoes the argument in Paragraph 9 that “hidden springs of fire” must
31、 exist in the English nature. In this way, the deductive reasoning is rendered more persuasive and appealing.Text Structure “Yes, but” strategy is not only employed in the local arguing as above, but also applied to the whole. It is conspicuously demonstrated in the text structure. In this part, I w
32、ill discuss about how the author achieves his purpose by the “skeleton” of the authors thoughtsstructure. Notes on the English Characters aims to make others to take a new look at Englishmens character. Forster points that some criticism about English character are made to confirm prejudices than to
33、 dispel them. Having predicted the shrinkage of the globe, he strains for mutual understanding between nations. For each defects, he almost follows the sequence of “conceding, rebutting and elaborating” to make his arguments objective and convincing. Forster first targets the main body of the Englis
34、h charactermiddle-class, considering their dominant force in this community. For two nicknames which describe the English characteristicsone is rude and the other sounds more dignified, he honestly admits that they are essentially the same, setting up an image of impartiality and objectivity. In Par
35、agraph 2, the author smartly gives us a preconception that the public-school education is responsible for the emotional defects of the English, foreshadowing for his defenses against later untrue and exaggerated charges.Then, the rebuttal part begins. Of course, the “yes, but” strategy still works i
36、n form and content of the arguing. First, Forster argues that the English appear cold and indifferent because of the undeveloped heart. To make readers to approve of this idea, he recalls his own experience of parting from an Indian friend after a happy holiday. Different from the friends sadness an
37、d despair, he behaved clam and cold. When we thought the author had completely admitted this deficiency of the English, he began to express his disapproval by using “yet, I could not agree with it.” The English believe that the intensity of their emotions is in proportion to the size of occasions. A
38、s a typical Englishman, the author is afraid of “having none left for the great ones, and of being bankrupt at the crises of life”. “Bankrupt” reminds us of the national free market economy which is full of profits and risks. Under such an unstable circumstance, the English inevitably becomes pruden
39、t. Reasonable planning of their properties even emotions is necessary. Therefore, we will naturally think that their ostensible coldness and apathy are understandable in some cases. After that, Forster continues to explain the reason of the misconceptionslowness, making the argument more compelling.
40、 With an anecdote of a small accident on the horse-driving coach, he suggests that although the English are criticized as numb, it is the slowness that helps them to act promptly and rationally in a crisis. That is why they always handle with a physical emergency with equanimity and order. In this w
41、ay, our attitude toward the English is gradually driven from dislike to acceptance and even respect. In addition, the greatness of English poetry is another powerful weapon against the charge. Forster points out that a nation that has created so much literature fortune “cannot be cold and unemotiona
42、l”. He again stresses “an undeveloped heart”the lasting effect of the public-school education and evokes our sympathy for these victims of this rigid system. The author, a master of “yes, but” strategy, successfully vanquishes the opponents in this round.Then, the author talks about the misinterpret
43、ation of hypocrisy on English character. He firstly cites the stereotypes of some other countries, evoking our empathy for his helplessness in face of the untrue and old view on English people. Then, the example from the opening chapters of Sense and Sensibility is used to illustrate that their “hyp
44、ocrisy”, unconscious deceit, is an acceptable one.Last, the author comes to other accusations such as treachery, cruelty, and fanaticism. Although some villains such as Tartuffe and Iago exist, it is untrue and inappropriate to impose the charges upon the whole nation and oversimplify their personal
45、ity flaws as cruelty. Then he concludes that the criticism on those characters is just self-amusement without producing any positive social effects. In the concluding part, Forster repeats that under the surface of apathy and self-complacency, there is no vice and real coldness in English nature. Wh
46、at should be to blame is “the machinery”. He calls people to be tolerant and to pay more attention on the big change of English character in the future.ConclusionThe core of the “yes, but” strategy is taking a step backward for two steps forward. Sometimes, the temporary compromise doesnt destroy th
47、e authors arguments. It is a smoke screen which makes the opposite side feels psychologically satisfied and relaxes their vigilance. In return, they will listen to the authors defense of the English characternot cold but incompletein a relatively objective attitude. By the employment of tone, diction, rhetorical devices and structure arrangement, the author gains strength and makes preparations for his showturning the tables on the opponents. In a word, Notes on the English Character shows Forsters integrative grasp of “yes, but” arguing.Reference1. http:/EzineA2.