too...not to do sth

[beeja]

Hi,

Have some questions to ask. Pls help.

1) Dick was too sensible not to know that there was something more than money needed to win a respectable position in the world.

"too sensible not to know" so Dick knows or he didn't know? but I think he knows, right?

2) We will look at the outline of the story and Alger's significant place in the success literature.

"Alger's significant place in the success literature" means that Alger has significant role in the writing about success, right?

3) Dick has pluck and wit to balance his earnest strivings to be “spectable” and, despite first-hand experience of the best rogues and swindlers the city has to offer, is a perennial optimist.

what does "to balance his earnest strivings to be “spectable” mean?

4) Honesty, which seems to "old-fashioned" to the fast crowd, is the basis of all enduring success, since it brings with it knowledge of the self.

"fast crowd" = immoral people?
"since it brings with it knowledge of the self" It here is "honesty", right? Does it mean that if you have honesty, you know yourself or with honesty, you knows who you are? Does it sound weird?

5) Alcohol sapped drive, pickled the independent mind, and eroded good character.

"pickled the independent mind" = could not control yourself?

6) The weekly installments of Ragged Dick in this children's monthly were widely popular.

weekly installments = series published monthly but why in the children's monthly magazine? is it paradox? pls explain.

Thank you!!

:)

[Tdol]

1) Dick was too sensible not to know that there was something more than money needed to win a respectable position in the world.

"too sensible not to know" so Dick knows or he didn't know? but I think he knows, right?

Yes, he does.

2) We will look at the outline of the story and Alger's significant place in the success literature.

"Alger's significant place in the success literature" means that Alger has significant role in the writing about success, right?

I'm not entirely sure what 'success literature is', but I think you're right.

3) Dick has pluck and wit to balance his earnest strivings to be “spectable” and, despite first-hand experience of the best rogues and swindlers the city has to offer, is a perennial optimist.

what does "to balance his earnest strivings to be “spectable” mean?

He tried hard to be 'respectable'

4) Honesty, which seems to "old-fashioned" to the fast crowd, is the basis of all enduring success, since it brings with it knowledge of the self.

"fast crowd" = immoral people?
"since it brings with it knowledge of the self" It here is "honesty", right? Does it mean that if you have honesty, you know yourself or with honesty, you knows who you are? Does it sound weird?


fast crowd- not necessarily immoral, but fast\hard-living- it depends on your view.

It means that long-lasting success is based on honesty, while those who take sahortcuts to success won'tlast long.

5) Alcohol sapped drive, pickled the independent mind, and eroded good character.

"pickled the independent mind" = could not control yourself?

= damaged or desroyed it

6) The weekly installments of Ragged Dick in this children's monthly were widely popular.

weekly installments = series published monthly but why in the children's monthly magazine? is it paradox? pls explain.

I can't explain this away.