| This thesis discusses issues of ESL vocabulary teaching, especially as it is related to Chinese adult ESL learners. In particular, it will argue that vocabulary teaching is very important in language learning, but it has been neglected for a long time in the history of English language teaching. In this situation, we should rethink of vocabulary teaching and find effective ways to deal with it. Through a formal empirical experiment with 40 L1 Chinese English learners, I found that teaching morphological knowledge is one of these ways. Although this teaching alone will never be sufficient, it will help L1 Chinese English learners move closer to where they need to be on a lexical level if they hope to attain a higher level of functioning in the L2.This thesis discusses Edna Pontellier's death in Kate Chopin's 1899 novel The Awakening. The hypothesis is that Edna's death is probably an accident. This argument can be supported by two reasons. First, Edna's character is dynamic. In the end she has become a strong woman from a weak one, and this change enables her to rebel against traditional society. Consequently, she is less likely to actively end her life for the sake of social tradition. On the other hand, this change in her character enables her to manage her life after her lover, Robert Lebrun, leaves her forever because Edna does not view Robert as her spiritual pillar. In brief, in the end she has become a strong woman who would not commit suicide. Second, this thesis applies a clinical suicidal theory to measure Edna's case and finds that this theory does not support Edna's death for suicide because Edna does not have clear intentions to commit suicide. Briefly, this research suggests to readers that Edna's death might be an accident or at least that accidental death is one possibility of her destiny. |
