VOA日常语法2024--Personification, Adjectives in 'Take Me Home, Country Roads'

Personification, Adjectives in 'Take Me Home, Country Roads'

　　Many Americans have returned to work or school as the holiday season comes to an end. Some traveled far to be with loved ones for Christmas and New Year's Day.

　　Last month, we looked at the song Take Me Home, Country Roads. For many people from the state of West Virginia and the Appalachia mountains, the song reminds them of home. John Denver recorded the hit song in 1971. Lana Del Rey recently recorded her version of the song.

　　In today's Everyday Grammar, we will continue looking at parts of Del Rey's version of the song and connect it to grammar and figurative language.

　　Let's look at the last section of the song.

　　All my memories gather 'round her

　　Miner's lady, stranger to blue water

　　Dark and dusty, painted on the sky

　　Misty¹ taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye

　　I hear her voice in the morning hour, she calls me

　　The radio reminds me of my home far away

　　Driving down the road, I get a feeling

　　That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday

　　More personification

　　In the first two verses of each section, West Virginia is humanized once again using personification. Personification is the humanization of a non-living thing.

　　The use of the subject and object pronouns "she" and "her" give a female quality to the state. That personification of West Virginia as a woman also appears in the chorus of the song when it is referred to as "mountain mama."

　　"Her voice" and "she calls me" add to the female characteristics of the state.

　　"Miner's lady" and "stranger to blue water" are other personified comparisons in the song. West Virginia is known for its coal and limestone² mines throughout the state. Many European immigrants came to West Virginia in the late 1800s and early 1900s to work in the mines.

　　"Stanger to blue water" is a reference to West Virginia's geographic³ location as a landlocked state. A stranger is an unfamiliar⁴ person. The phrase is noting that the state is not near an ocean and is unfamiliar to blue ocean waters.

　　Adjectives

　　And finally, we have more adjectives. Today we look at descriptive adjectives, not comparative adjectives.

　　Dark and dusty, painted on the sky

　　Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye

　　"Dark and dusty" refer to the "miner's lady" line and coal mining. Coal is a dark, natural substance found in the earth. West Virginia and other parts of the Appalachian region are rich in this resource. It also creates dusty particles that fill the air. That combination "paints" or covers the sky.

　　The line "misty taste of moonshine" also has a descriptive adjective. "Misty" has several meanings. "Mist," the noun form of the word, means water in the form of very small drops floating in the air. So, "misty" means full of mist. It can also describe something that is not clearly seen or remembered. Finally, it can describe eyes that are full of tears. In fact, "misty-eyed" means the same thing as "tearful."

　　Moonshine is a kind of alcohol that is made illegally. Making moonshine was especially common in the hills of Appalachia during Prohibition⁵, which lasted from 1920 to 1933.

　　The alcohol was moved by car at night and the bootleggers could only see by the light of the moon. That is where it got its name.

　　It is not common to describe a taste or flavor as "misty." But there are a few possible meanings. Since "moonshine" was strong, drinking it could leave one's eyes "misty" or filled with tears. The "misty" flavor of moonshine could also refer to the illegal way of producing and transporting the alcohol without anyone knowing.

　　Final thoughts

　　Today we looked at the rest of the song Country Roads. We found even more personification by comparing West Virginia to a woman with words like, "miner's lady" and "her voice."

　　We found even more adjectives that were used to describe parts of Appalachian culture like "dark and dusty" for coal mining and "misty taste of moonshine" to describe a strong alcohol flavor that could bring tears to one's eyes.

　　Words in This Story

　　figurative – adj. used with a meaning that is different from the basic meaning

　　misty – adj. full of or covered with mist.

　　verse – n. writing in which words are arranged in a rhythmic⁶ pattern: poetry or song

　　chorus – n. part of a song that is repeated; a large organized group of singers

　　characteristic –n. a quality that a person has that makes them different, or similar, to others

　　bootlegger - n. someone who sells products illegally, often without providing the requires taxes to government

1 misty   

adj.雾蒙蒙的，有雾的

参考例句：

• He crossed over to the window to see if it was still misty.他走到窗户那儿，看看是不是还有雾霭。
• The misty scene had a dreamy quality about it.雾景给人以梦幻般的感觉。

2 limestone   

n.石灰石

参考例句：

• Limestone is often used in building construction.石灰岩常用于建筑。
• Cement is made from limestone.水泥是由石灰石制成的。

3 geographic   

adj.地理学的，地理的

参考例句：

• The city's success owes much to its geographic position. 这座城市的成功很大程度上归功于它的地理位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Environmental problems pay no heed to these geographic lines. 环境问题并不理会这些地理界限。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

4 unfamiliar   

adj.陌生的，不熟悉的

参考例句：

• I am unfamiliar with the place and the people here.我在这儿人地生疏。
• The man seemed unfamiliar to me.这人很面生。

5 prohibition   

n.禁止；禁令，禁律

参考例句：

• The prohibition against drunken driving will save many lives.禁止酒后开车将会减少许多死亡事故。
• They voted in favour of the prohibition of smoking in public areas.他们投票赞成禁止在公共场所吸烟。

6 rhythmic   

adj.有节奏的，有韵律的

参考例句：

• Her breathing became more rhythmic.她的呼吸变得更有规律了。
• Good breathing is slow,rhythmic and deep.健康的呼吸方式缓慢深沉而有节奏。