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Condemned or doomed?
Message from ivonne_k2003 posted on 01-01-2010 at 22:41:33 (D | E | F)
Hello,
Could you help me, please?
I have some doubts... In an article written by my student, there is a sentence 'Unfortunately, most of us are condemned to professions that are available.' Is it correct? Should I accept it? Don't you think that doomed would be better here? Or maybe you've got any better ideas?
Thank you in advance for help, and Happy New Year!
Ivonne
Message from ivonne_k2003 posted on 01-01-2010 at 22:41:33 (D | E | F)
Hello,
Could you help me, please?
I have some doubts... In an article written by my student, there is a sentence 'Unfortunately, most of us are condemned to professions that are available.' Is it correct? Should I accept it? Don't you think that doomed would be better here? Or maybe you've got any better ideas?
Thank you in advance for help, and Happy New Year!
Ivonne
Re: Condemned or doomed? from brettdallen, posted on 01-01-2010 at 23:48:45 (D | E)
Good evening and happy New Year!
'Unfortunately, most of us are condemned to professions that are available.' Is it correct? Should I accept it? Don't you think that doomed would be better here? Or maybe you've got any better ideas?
In this sentence, "condemned" seems inappropriate to me as it is normally used in the field of justice or medicine. Now, as it is often the case, there's a figurative meaning. Was the word chosen on purpose or not, that's the question. If so, your student probably meant that doing this or that job was synonymous with death or imprisonment.
I'd say this way, the word, though a bit too strong, is acceptable.
What about "doomed"? I'd say, it suits the context in a better way as it refers to a gloomy future.
Now, you could suggest something like "...have no other choice but to take the jobs that are/will be available."
Hope I've been useful.
Bye!
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Edited by lucile83 on 02-01-2010 08:40
Re: Condemned or doomed? from ndege, posted on 01-01-2010 at 23:49:05 (D | E)
Hello,
I 'd say that 'condemned' is acceptable in the sense of being compelled or forced into something.
Doom has a tragedy ring to it, the workings of fate with usually a destructive issue. It may be too emphatic as it is commonly used in apocalyptic contexts.
I hope that helps.
All the best for 2010,
Ndege.
Re: Condemned or doomed? from ndege, posted on 01-01-2010 at 23:58:23 (D | E)
Here are a few examples from the media :
Why the Ideals of the Iranian Revolution were Condemned to Failure
Coral condemned to extinction by CO2 levels
The country has been condemned to debt
Re: Condemned or doomed? from ivonne_k2003, posted on 02-01-2010 at 00:12:32 (D | E)
Thank you very much! However, I'm still a bit confused
Ivonne
Re: Condemned or doomed? from traviskidd, posted on 02-01-2010 at 03:03:10 (D | E)
Hello.
The words are close enough in meaning that either will do. However usually you are condemned by someone (e.g. a judge), whereas if you are doomed, you are simply doomed.
You can, figuratively speaking, be condemned by "the stars", i.e. fate, and I think it is in this sense that your student used this word.
Regards.
Re: Condemned or doomed? from lucile83, posted on 02-01-2010 at 08:43:45 (D | E)
Hello,
The word 'condemned' sounds a little strong to me.
Why not 'compelled'?
Best wishes.
Re: Condemned or doomed? from gerondif, posted on 02-01-2010 at 13:16:24 (D | E)
Hello !
"restricted to" is more neutral but loses the image.
Re: Condemned or doomed? from krnntp, posted on 13-01-2010 at 08:51:32 (D | E)
To be "condemned" to a profession sounds fine to me... as others have pointed out, condemned is often used rhetorically or in news stories in this way. Condemned is a much more neutral word than for example, "damned".
Of course, by using the word "condemned", your student implies that it would be unpleasant to be trapped in such a profession; it's also implied that perhaps the situation is a consequence of some other decision or problem. "Doomed" makes the profession sound even more unpleasant, and more hopeless; it makes the situation sound inescapable. "Fated" has a neutral or slightly negative sound; like "doomed", it makes the situation sound inescapable. "Destined" has a neutral or slightly positive sound, and it too makes the situation sound inescapable.
Which word is best, depends on the fine nuances of what your student is trying to say.
If being limited to the available professions is...
If the reason for this limitation is...
Best regards,
krnntp
Hello,
'Unfortunately, most of us are condemned to professions that are available.' Is it correct? Should I accept it? Don't you think that doomed would be better here? Or maybe you've got any better ideas?
As I thought, the word "condemned" in this sentence brings out a humorous sense (to be condemned with voluntary, with pleasure perhaps).
We are rather to be condemned to professions that are available than to be jobless
Doomed is just doomed, like there's no way out!
Hopefully, it might bring some help
Best Regards,
May
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Edited by lucile83 on 17-01-2010 13:51
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