96642
1: **どうあがけば** 人間が雷に勝てる **というのだ**

Here, I don't understand the どうあがけば and というのだ, what do they mean? Can someone
explain to me the grammar and the usage here?

2: 空で育ったお前でも遠雷くらい **見ていよう**

What's with the 見ていよう? Why is there volition, especially in progressive form?
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2022-10-13T12:22:38.227
96619
2023-03-01T12:38:31.107
2023-03-01T12:38:31.107
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question
grammar meaning conditionals volitional-form
what does those sentences mean?
The pattern is something like:

  * どうＸならばＹというのだ(か)
  * What/How (much)/... on earth does one X to Y?

meaning

  * Whatever/However (much)/... one does X, Y won't happen/is impossible.

More practically, X can be dropped from translation and just _How is it
possible Y_ would convey the meaning. Note that どうしたら="how" has essentially
the same structure (literally _how does one do to.._ ).

Explanation by examples:

> どうあがけば人間が雷に勝てるというのだ  
>  How much must one struggle to defeat thunder?  
>  How on earth can one defeat thunder?

> どう見たらこれが猫だと思うのだ  
>  What do you see to think that this is a cat?  
>  How come you think this is a cat?

* * *

I think your confusion stems from the fact that there is no construction in
English which naturally combines _how_ and _if_ , which is what どう・・ば does.

I'm not sure how much this helps, but see the following comparisons.

  * こうすれば人間は雷に勝てる

which literally translates to

  * If one does this, one can beat thunder.

Now changing こう to どう and adding というのだ, it becomes (literally)

  * If one does **how/what** , can one beat thunder?

Slightly more naturally,

  * Can one beat thunder by doing _what_?

In the case of the sentence in question, a similar translation is

  * Can one beat thunder by struggling how?
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2022-10-14T12:11:51.950
96642
2022-10-14T12:11:51.950
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96619
answer