Modification

Question

She knew that she could never charm the world and command its love though beauty, so she concluded that happiness lay in doing good for others.About 'through beauty', what does it modify? '(Never) command its love' only? Or both '(never) charm the world' and '(never) command its love'?

AlpheccaStars · Accepted Answer

TakaShe knew that she could never charm the world and command its love though beauty, so she concluded that happiness lay in doing good for others.

Through beauty is a prepositional phrase. It functions as an adverb. I would place it as modifying the verb charm, by restatement:

She knew that she could never charm the world though beauty and (thus) command its love.

Taka · Answer

If it were in that position, I would take it as the same way. But it's not in that position.

Even thought it's at the end of the sentence, would you take it as a modifier of 'charm'?

CalifJim · Answer

TakaAbout 'through beauty', what does it modify?

Both predicates, I'd say. Consequently, you might say that it modifies the common element "could", because "could" has to do with "ability", and her beauty would never be able to charm and command. You can even restate it like this:

It was not through beauty that she could ever charm the world and command its love.

The idea of beauty is more tied to a certain inability than either to charming or commanding directly.

CJ

Taka · Answer

Jim, don't you think 'charm the world' itself would make enough sense even without 'through love' whereas without 'through love', 'command its love' alone would seem to lack some important information?

AlpheccaStars · Answer

Well, perhaps she never met Helen of Troy, or felt herself to be inferior in beauty.

I interpret the author as saying that she wanted to be popular (command the love of the world) by means of her charm and beauty. And further, that popularity will give her happiness. She realizes that this will never be, so she finds a different way - by doing good.

That's good advice in my book. I was in the supermarket yesterday and saw a tabloid front page photo of Zsa Zsa Gabor at age 93. Doing good is ageless.

A-

s

CalifJim · Answer

TakaJim, don't you think 'charm the world' itself would make enough sense even without 'through love' whereas without 'through love', 'command its love' alone would seem to lack some important information?

I think you mean "through beauty", thus:

Jim, don't you think 'charm the world' itself would make enough sense even without 'through beauty' whereas without 'through beauty', 'command its love' alone would seem to lack some important information?

She knew that she could never charm the world and command its love though beauty, so she concluded that happiness lay in doing good for others.

So you asking if I think (1) below makes enough sense written like this:

1 She knew that she could never charm the world, so she concluded that happiness lay in doing good for others.

And if I think the following (2) lacks important information:

2 She knew that she could never command its love, so she concluded that happiness lay in doing good for others.

A. I think (1) makes sense but doesn't have the same meaning as the original.
B. I think (2) leaves out the information about what "its" refers to, but even if we said "command the love of the world" to fix that problem, it too would differ in meaning from the original.

Without the phrase that mentions beauty, most of the meaning of the original is lost. The point of the original is that she doesn't think she's beautiful enough to be able to do either: charm people; earn people's love.

The two underlying premises (whether you believe them or not) are:
People find beauty charming; people find beauty worthy of their love.

So I would parse the sentence like this:

She knew that
she could never -- through beauty --

1 charm the world
and
2 command its love

so
she concluded that
happiness lay in doing good for others.

CJ

Taka · Answer

CalifJimI think you mean "through beauty"

OH, yes. Sorry, that was my mistake.

What do you think about AlpheccaStars' interpretation? Is such interpretation possible?

AlpheccaStars I interpret the author as saying that she wanted to be popular (command the love of the world) by means of her charm and beauty.

CalifJim · Answer

TakaWhat do you think about AlpheccaStars' interpretation? Is such interpretation possible?

Yes. Unless you are parsing this at a level so subtle that I don't even see your point, that is the only interpretation.

She wanted to be charming and lovable. She thought she would have to be beautiful to do that, but she wasn't beautiful. So she adopted a different strategy in life.

If you are going for subtleties, then I'd have to say there is a slight difference in our two interpretations. A. S. says she wanted to be lovable by being both charming and beautiful. I say she wanted to be both charming and lovable by being beautiful.

CJ

Taka · Answer

CalifJimA. S. says she wanted to be lovable by being both charming and beautiful.

Yes. But I've been wondering why such interpretation is possible with this sentence structure...Hmm...

Modification

Top answer

Get the Weekly English Kit 📬

Related Questions