I am in the gutter, but...

[tree123]

Yesterday evening after taking a shower I took the changed clothes to the balcony to wash them. The breeze brushed me so comfortably, though it was still a bit warm. I looked up the dark skies above, and found a few stars twinkled. I found the stars were actually white instead of green.

I don't really remember when I looked up stars since the last time, maybe ages ago. I know there are many people in the gutter too, and they work so hard to pursue the stars in their own hearts and don't have time to look up stars above their heads.

I went into the room and took out a stool to the balcony, sitting on it quitely, enjoying the breeze, dialoguing with the stars silently.

'One, two, three' I counted with my naked eyes. I didn't know and didn't care what names scientists give them. I decided to name the brightest one among the three stars 'Oscar Wilde' for the moment.

Yes, I'm in the gutter, but I will look up the stars. I memorized the similar words he said. You and stars must know who was him I refer to. Hush, don't give it away.

 

[Tarheel]

Say dirty clothes. Also, I think you mean look at the stars.

(You must live on a different planet than I do if you see green stars.)

 

[tedmc]

Yesterday evening after taking a shower, I took [STRIKE]the changed[/STRIKE] my dirty clothes to the balcony [STRIKE]to wash[/STRIKE] and washed them. The breeze brushed [1] against me so [STRIKE]comfortably[/STRIKE] gently, though it was still a bit warm. I looked up at the dark [STRIKE]skies[/STRIKE] sky above, and found a few stars [STRIKE]twinkled[/STRIKE] twinkling. I found the stars were actually white instead of green [2].

I don't really remember when I last looked [STRIKE]up [/STRIKE] at stars [STRIKE]since the last time[/STRIKE], maybe ages ago. I know there are many people [STRIKE]in the gutter [/STRIKE] who are poor too, and they work so hard to[STRIKE] pursue[/STRIKE] reach for the stars[STRIKE] in their own hearts[/STRIKE] and don't have time to look up at the stars above their heads.

I went into the room and took out a stool to the balcony, [STRIKE]sitting[/STRIKE] sat on it [STRIKE]quitely[/STRIKE] quietly enjoying the breeze, [STRIKE] and dialoguing with[/STRIKE] talking to the stars [STRIKE]silently[/STRIKE] softly.

'One, two, three' I counted with my naked eyes. I didn't know and didn't care what names scientists [STRIKE]give[/STRIKE] gave them. I decided to name the brightest [STRIKE]one [/STRIKE]among the three stars 'Oscar Wilde' for the moment.

Yes, I'm in the gutter [3], but I will look up at the stars. I [STRIKE]memorized [/STRIKE] recited the similar words he (who ?) said, "You and the stars must know who was "him" I [STRIKE]refer[/STRIKE] was referring to. Hush, don't give it away."

[1] I am not sure about using "brushed" with the breeze. Perhaps blew against or stroked.
[2] As Tarheel mentioned, stars are not green.
[3] I am not sure about using the idiom there; I think I'm poor works better.

 

[probus]

"In the gutter" has very negative connotations that bear little or no relation to poverty. I haven't heard it for many years but people of my parents' generation used "in the gutter" to describe prostitutes and other people of dubious morality. Learners are well advised to avoid such colourful expressions and stick to more mundane language. As Ted suggested "I'm poor" works perfectly.

 

[tedmc]

The idiom does not only mean being materially poor, but also morally degraded. Do you want to say that about yourself?

 

[tree123]

I didn't know 'gutter' refers to morally bad.

 

[tedmc]

I didn't know 'gutter' refers to morally bad.

The phrase is not commonly used as a idiom. You would come across "gutter politics" in the news sometimes.

 

[Tdol]

On the balcony?

 

[tree123]

On the balcony?

Should I use 'in'?

 

[probus]

No, "on the balcony" is correct. Tdol was joking because you really can't be on the balcony and in the gutter at the same time.

 

[tree123]

No, "on the balcony" is correct. Tdol was joking because you really can't be on the balcony and in the gutter at the same time.

This is the meaning I refer to.

gutter noun (SOCIAL LEVEL)
the gutter [ S ]

the lowest level, especially of society:
Born to a poverty-stricken family, she dragged herself out of the gutter to become a successful business owner.

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/gutter?q=gutter+

I am not actually at the lowest level of the society in China, but in my opinion, I am not very different from them. So do other white collars who seem to be well-paid. For example, some IT guys in China and maybe in other countries. They/we work very hard to survive. We sit in air-conditioned clean offices, but most of us work overtime. It takes around 3 hours for traffic every working day. When people reach the middle age around 35 years old, many would actually be kicked out of careers.

A poor peasant who earns 2000RMB per month in the rural area is not very different from a white collar who earns 20,000RMB per month in the big cities like Shanghai, Beijing, etc. where housing is very very expensive. A few people can afford when it comes to ratio. My friend teaches in a university of Beijing, and he holds a Ph.D. degree but he can't afford to buy an apartment either. We call ourselves 'house slaves' if we loan and we will have to work almost all our lives to return the loan and interests. Are "slaves" not in the lowest level of society? The mover and shaker, the business tycoons take out all of our hard-earned savings.

Though I am probably financially better than real vagrants and peasants (some vagrants could be very rich), I don't think I am superior than them when it comes to finance, happiness, etc.

In my writing, I refer to Oscar Wilde's quote: We are all in the gutter,but some of us are looking at the stars as I indicated I decided to name one of the stars as "Oscar Wilde".

The stars above the sky reminds me of Oscar Wilde and many other brillian philosophers like *Kant etc.

I interpret Wilde's words as we are not very successful unlike prominent politicans, business tycoons, brilliant people, we are just nobodies, we are just tools, but we still have our dreams, our morals, our independent thoughts.

It's like Peter is on the lowest rank of the ladder in a company, but there's not really a physical ladder in the company. 'In the gutter' is a metaphor. I didn't know today the meaning of lowest level of society is not practically applied. This is what I was trying to express about myself.


I don't try to blame China or the government in this comment. I am not a very aggressively cynic as I realize there's not such a Utopia in every country to make everyone happy. I would like to adapt myself in any situation, any place, because I can still look at stars, my dreams with my own efforts. I assume the situation is very similar almost all over the world from the reports I've read and the stories my foreign friends told me. I didn't and don't and won't have any intention and desire to discuss politics on this forum. Just a throwaway comment.

*Kant's quote

Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe, the more often and steadily we reflect upon them: the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me
Zwei Dinge erfuellen das Gemuet mit immer neuer und zunehmender Bewunderung und Ehrfurcht,je oefter und anhaltender sich das Nachdenken damit beschaeftigt:der bestirnte Himmel ueber mir und das moralische Gesetz in mir.

 

[tedmc]

I went into the room and took out a stool to the balcony, sat on it ...

 

[emsr2d2]

I went into the room, [strike]and[/strike] took [STRIKE]out[/STRIKE] a stool out onto the balcony, and sat on it ...

See above.

 

[Tarheel]

Just one thing. Say:

I'm not actually at the lowest level of society. (No "the".)

 

[tedmc]

but, in my opinion, ...
superior to, not than
lost rung of the ladder, not rank
an aggressive[STRIKE]ly[/STRIKE] cynic

[STRIKE]A[/STRIKE] Only a few people can afford when it comes to ratio.

What is ratio?

 

[tree123]

It depends on how to define "a few people".

China has a huge population. If I say 10,000 people can afford to buy, but 10,000 people are not a few people. If just one person out of 30,000 people or more can afford, the 10,000 people who can afford to buy are just a few people. This is about ratio.

And it also depends on the context.

I couldn't say 10,000 people who died in a natural disaster were just a few people, no matter we have the biggest population in the world.

 

[tedmc]

A ratio (maths) is the number of times a number is bigger or smaller than another, and the numbers may not be related.You are talking about how a number, which is part of a total number, are related. It is called the proportion or percentage . You can say only a small proportion of the people can afford to buy houses.