Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[learner12]

Hello, teachers!!

Pain by W. S. Maugham

No more stupid apology for pain has ever been devised than that it elevates. It is an explanation due to the necessity of justifying pain from the Christian point of view. Pain is nothing more than the signal given by the nerves that the organism is in circumstances hurtful to it: it would be as reasonable to assert that a danger signal elevates a train. But one would have thought that the ordinary observation of life was enough to show that in the great majority of cases, pain, far from refining, has an effect which is merely brutalising. An example in point is the case of hospital in-patients: physical pain makes them self-absorbed, selfish, querulous, impatient, unjust and greedy; I could name a score of petty vices that it generates, but not one virtue. Poverty also is pain. I have known well men who suffered from that grinding agony of poverty which befalls persons who have to live among those richer than themselves; it makes them grasping and mean, dishonest and untruthful. It teaches them all sorts of detestable tricks. With moderate means they would have been honourable men, but ground down by poverty they have lost all sense of decency.

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In the last sentence, what do you mean by "With moderate means"?
(1) moderate means= a little money
(2) moderate means= the money middle-class people have
(3) moderate means= a large amount of money

I mean, about how much money do they have?

Thank you in advance.

[Suzanne]

Hello,

"Moderate" here means that if poor people had any income that would provide a way for them to have their basic needs met (food, shelter, clothing, tc.) then they could begin to live with more integrity and honesty.

Of your choices, #1, a little money, is the best answer.

Every culture has a different standard for what a "moderate" income means. In the United States, anyone who lives on less than about $18,000 a year is considered to live in poverty.

Does that help?

[learner12]

Dear Suzanne:

Thank you so much for your great explanations.

Yes, it helps a lot.

Thank you again for your help.

Have a nice day!!