An extraordinary life - answers and notes
1j 2h 3o 4g 5m 6e 7k 8d 9i 10b 11f 12l 13a 14p 15c 16n
a13 b10 c15 d8 e6 f11 g4 h2 i9 j1 k7 l12 m5 n16 o3 p14
| 1j has looked to you for 2h welfare 3o erstwhile moral 4g say the least 5m published 6e acts of barbarism 7k have no place left to go where 8d defenceless 9i does not belong 10b glorify 11f primitive form of entertainment 12l slaughtered 13a bloodthirsty 14p unenlightened 15c unacceptable 16n shame |
a13 bloodthirsty b10 glorify c15 unacceptable d8 defenceless e6 acts of barbarism f11 primitive form of entertainment g4 say the least h2 welfare i9 does not belong j1 has looked to you for k7 have no place left to go where l12 slaughtered m5 published n16 shame o3 erstwhile moral p14 unenlightened |
"For years the rest of the world has looked to you for 1j guidance and inspiration in matters relating to animal welfare 2h. Now, you celebrate the passing of a bullfighter with a grandiloquence worthy of a Mother Teresa obituary. Where's your erstwhile moral 3o authority on this matter?"
Another blogger wrote in protest: "Disappointing and sad, to say the least 4g, that an obituary on a bullfighter has been published 5m in the Economist. It seems people who oppose such acts of barbarism 6e and live in the developing world have no place left to go where 7k we are not reminded of this horrible and cruel act of torture committed on defenceless 8d animals. The terrible fact that hunting, whaling, fishing, bombing and wars still exist still doesn't justify the existence of bullfights. Another wrote: This obituary does not belong 9i in the Economist. A leading news magazine, based in a first-world country, should not glorify 10b such a primitive form of entertainment 11f. If animals must be slaughtered 12l (to satisfy the appetites of those who absolutely must eat meat), then it should be done quickly, efficiently and painlessly. Pandering to the bloodthirsty 13a amusement of the unenlightened 14p is unacceptable 15c to anyone with even a modicum of moral sensibility. For your information, only two or three bullfighters have died in the ring in the past 50 years, so where's the challenge? Shame 16m on you.
Many bloggers wrote in appreciating the story of this unusual woman's life, and pointing out that sensitivity about moral issues 17r change over time, and questioning whether it is possible or appropriate to apply modern views of political correctness to everything we read.
One typical reader wrote "Perhaps the skills and courage required for bullfighting are no longer required or admired in this day and age, but I can only express admiration for the lady of the obituary. And in many ways she was a model 18x for other women to emulate 19u in destroying stereotypes of the day. And her courage should be lauded 20q in any age."
Yet another wrote: "This is another very remarkable piece of writing by your Obituaries Editor. The piece is so studded with technical detail that one could think it was written by 21t a bullfighter, or at least an aficionado. The immediate and repeated allusion to Lorca's haunting line: 'At five in the afternoon' * was powerfully arresting. The continuing excellence of your Obituary column is the reason I always read your paper from back to front 22v.'
Yet another added later, "I hate violence and cruelty. No matter how you embellish 23w it with fine prose or poetry it is still despicable. Killing for food is a necessity, pretending 24s it is an art form is insulting art", while another wrote in, "Superb obituary, wonderful woman in a wonderful sport!"
Notes
erstwhile - adj / adv, slightly archaic - former(ly)
blood sports - sports involving the hunting, wounding or killing of animals
glorify - verb - represent or describe as admirable, especially unjustifiably or undeservedly
pander to - indulge a distasteful (or immoral) desire, habit or interest
bloodthirsty - adj - eager to kill and maim (injure)
a modicum - a small quantity - eg Anyone with a modicum of common sense knows you shouldn't drive at 150mph on an ordinary road.
Shame on you - You should be ashamed
emulate - verb FORMAL - copy something achieved by someone else and try to do it as well as they have: Eg Judges commented that Gapfillers' success would be hard to emulate.
laud -praise highly
An aficionado - Spanish - a person who is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about an activity or subject
arresting - adj - attracting one's interest or attention
embellish - verb - 1) decorate 2) add extra details (to a story or account) to make it more interesting
gore - verb (of an animal with a tusk or horn) - to pierce or stab with a horn or tusk
*'At five in the afternoon' is a line written by the Spanish poet and playwright García Lorca in his poem 'The Goring and the Death', written in 1934. The repetition of the line 'a las cinco de la tarde' 28 times in 52 lines of poetry creates a mounting sense of doom and fatality, like a bell tolling the imminent death of the bullfighter. Although the poem is ostensibly about a bullfight Lorca presents it as a metaphor for the Spanish Civil war, and as a prediction of his own death two years later at the hands of Franco's régime. (General Franco, Spain's Head of State from 1936 to 1975, was a fascist dictator.)
ostensibly - adv FORMAL - using one apparent motive as a pretext for another - eg He came round ostensibly to ask if we needed any help, but really he was hoping to borrow Mike's motorbike.
Death in the Afternoon is a non-fiction book published in 1932 by the American writer Ernest Hemingway about the ceremony and traditions of Spanish bullfighting. The book provides a look at the history and magnificence of bullfighting, while also being a deeper contemplation on the nature of fear and courage.
The document attached is a posthumous account of Conchita Cintrón Verill's life from the Economist magazine.
Death of a bullfighter.doc
