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Chan-Seung Lee

Joined: 03 Dec 2005
Posts: 1032

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 3:46 am Post subject: that

Quote:

"Maybe God sees the fall of a sparrow, but you couldn't tell it by me. If I didn't do my part to fit in, I would be alone and forgotten. The cherished feelings I have for my family are what holds my life together, because these few people care that I exist. Events are random, treacherous things that can happen at any moment. I never forget that. After I die, I will just be a memory, or if I am lucky I will then find out if God knows who I am. My faith tells me that he does."

1. Is there any other special meaning as a metaphor in Western culture?
2. What does 'tell it by me.' mean?
3. Could you paraphrase "The cherished feelings I have for my family are what holds my life together, because these few people care that I exist."?
4. What does 'that' mean?

Thanks.

Tao

Joined: 26 Oct 2012
Posts: 66

Posted: Wed Dec 05, 2012 6:44 pm Post subject:

The phrase "couldn't tell it by me" means to me that the person doesn't believe that "God sees the fall of a sparrow", that the person has had no experiences that might verify the statement. Paraphrase... The feelings I have for my family give my life meaning for I know they also care deeply for me. There are certainly other ways to paraphrase this... _________________ TAO

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