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Wed 24 Aug, 2005 05:16 am
I came across this sentence in a BBC article.
The first clause seem to contradict the second clause. Could you please explain?
Here:
The notion that the hounding of one oligarch sounds the knell for freedom and reform finds few takers; indeed, some see it as a welcome departure from the chaotic crony capitalism of the 1990s.
I would translate this into simple English:
Almost nobody believes that pursuing one oligarch is beginning of freedom and reform - really, some people think it is the end of corrupt capitalism of the 1990s.
Now both clauses make sense, no problem, BUT they don't make sense in one sentence, as they clearly contradict each other.
Thanks for help.
I think the confusion starts with your interpretation of knell. Knell is the sound of a bell (typically, when rung slowly). It is associated with funeral services and thus refers to something that signals the end of (or death of) something rather than the beginning.
The article is in reference to the arrest of Russian billionaire, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, on tax evasion and fraud charges. The use of oligarch suggests that he is a member of an elite ruling class and, therefore, that his wealth has not been acquired through fair play in the free-market system to which reformist Russia aspires. Some within his sphere of power (very likely his attorneys and business associates) are trying to convince others that he is being persecuted for his wealth and that it will discourage others from pursuing capitalist objectives and hamper the reform. Most, however, feel that his wealth represents the old way of doing business and that his arrest will have the opposite effect.
Valpower, thank you very much, now it makes perfect sense.
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