"Gilligan" wrote in message
news

"Scout" wrote in message
...
"Gilligan" wrote
Well, what if it be my vice,
My pleasure to displease--to love men hate me!

So sad ~ these words!
Preemptive scorn is scorn of self and fear of self-worthlessness!
Why does Captain Neal doubt himself so?

Spark Notes (similar to Cliff's):

Summary - Act II, scene viii
Le Bret argues that Cyrano is ruining his chances of becoming a successful
man or a famous poet. Cyrano says he will live according to his ideals and
that he has no interest in making friends with unworthy men. Suddenly,
Christian enters.


Your interpretation is a bit different. Where does the difference come
from?

Just an observation. Have you noticed how people automatically condemn
things that challenge them rather than risking failure by accepting the
challenge? Students do this routinely, claiming things they haven't mastered
(read as: fear they cannot master), are stupid or unworthy. Cyrano and
Captain Neal both exhibit this behavior. In the case of the latter, CN
condemns me as unworthy because I have challenged his political point of
view. He doesn't appreciate my opinion regarding our president's education
reform initiatives, so he attacks everything from my writing style to my
manhood. Whether either is lacking is irrelevant to the point of discussion.
That, and only that, is my point in challenging CN.
I've shared some of what I've experienced in America's public schools. Let
CN bring what he knows to the table. That is where this branch of the
discussion broke away.
Kurt Vonnegut said once that he wished to tell a story without using any
profanity. He said he had an important message to give, and he knew that
many people would not want to hear the message. He said he also knew that if
he used vulgarity of any sort, he would be giving those people the
justification they needed to turn away from what was important. I haven't
used any profanity either ~ so those who don't want to hear my testimony
will have to find or fabricate some other reason to turn a deaf ear. I
suppose a poorly focused paragraph works for CN.
Scout