|
|
Reader question:
What does “take stock” mean in “we must take stock of history”?
My comments:
To take stock of history means to assess what happened before making a
decision accordingly – presumably making sure that mistakes made in the past
won’t be repeated. “Taking stock of history” reminds me of the saying: those who
ignore history are bound to repeat it.
“Take stock” is a phrasal verb and we know phrasal verbs are the weak spot
of Chinese English learners, as are idioms and colloquialisms in general.
First, definitions. If you look up the dictionary, the first meaning of
stock is the supply of things you keep and can use when you need them.
If you “take stock”, you store up or using a business term you take an
inventory. And when you take an inventory of, say, wine, you count the bottles
before putting them away. That’s taking stock of countable items. To take stock
of something uncountable, such as history, on the other hand is you to think
carefully about it, before taking action accordingly.
Likewise, we often talk of taking stock of situations. That means to think
carefully about current affairs and decide what to do next. I recall Rowan
Atkinson the British standup comedian, better known here as Mr. Bean, once
mimicking a politician addressing an election gathering, who is obviously taking
stock of Britain’s whole past and present, plus with an eye for its future:
“My Lords, Ladies, Gentlemen, and members of the press, there comes a time
when we must all stand up and be counted. I am standing up now, and can be
counted…. Because Britain is facing the gravest constitutional crisis... since
1380! And, you know, many of us still remember the dark days! And if we’re going
to prevent the lights going out on our lives once more, we must ask ourselves
crucial questions!
“Where are we? How did we get here? Why did we come? Where do we want to
go? How do we want to get to where we want to go? How far do we have to go
before we get to where we want to be? How would we know where we were when we
got there? HAVE WE GOT A MAP?”
Haha, there you go. That’s Mr. Bean taking stock of electoral politics.
Here are two examples of “taking stock of” in the media:
1. The destinies of wizards and princes might seem more certain than those
carved out for the rest of us, yet we all have to choose the manner in which we
meet life: whether to live up (or down) to the expectations placed upon us;
whether to act selfishly, or for the common good; whether to steer the course of
our lives ourselves, or to allow ourselves to be buffeted around by chance and
circumstance. Birthdays are often moments for reflection, moments when we pause,
look around, and take stock of where we are; children gleefully contemplate how
far they have come, whereas adults look forwards into the trees, wondering how
much further they have to go.
- JK Rowling on Harry Potter’s last, long walk, Guardian.co.uk, November
13, 2008.
2. The mother of troubled singing sensation Amy Winehouse has written an
open letter to her daughter calling on the star to “take stock” of where her
life is going.
Janis Winehouse (52) has spoken publicly before about the pop star’s
chaotic personal life before but has now urged the performer to get in contact
in a bid to turn things around.
She said the family were "concerned" but not panicking as they were sure
she would see things in her “own time”.
Despite the singer’s apparent problems her career shows no sign of slowing
down after she was nominated for six Grammy awards this week.
Her mother, writing in the ‘News of the World’, said: “Early fame has
overwhelmed you, it’s dizzied you and muddled your mind….
“Having to cancel your tour, as well, has been very sad. But maybe it will
make you stop, think and take stock of where your life is going.”
- Mum’s open letter asks Amy to ‘take stock’, Independent.ie, December 10,
2007. |
|
发表于 2016-7-9 23:56:07