Unit 7 The American Dream

Unit7TheAmericanDreamLisaLead-in•Quotation:•Ifyoulovehim,sendhimtoNewYorkforit’sheaven.Ifyouhatehim,sendhimtoNewYorkforit’shell！•如果你爱他，就送他去纽约，因为那里是天堂。如果你很他，也送他去纽约，因为那里是地狱。Pre-readingTasks:•What’syourunderstandingof“AmericanDream”?•1.ShortPlayShow•2.DiscussionandConclusionAmericanDream•TheAmericanDreamisthatdreamofalandinwhichlifeshouldbebetterandricherandfullerforeveryone,withopportunityforeachaccordingtoabilityorachievement.ItisadifficultdreamfortheEuropeanupperclassestointerpretadequately,andtoomanyofusourselveshavegrownwearyandmistrustfulofit.Itisnotadreamofmotorcarsandhighwagesmerely,butadreamofsocialorderinwhicheachmanandeachwomanshallbeabletoattaintothefulleststatureofwhichtheyareinnatelycapable,andberecognizedbyothersforwhattheyare,regardlessofthefortuitouscircumstancesofbirthorposition.“•---JamesTruslowAdamsDifferentVoicesaboutAmericanDream•1.---thepursuitofmaterialprosperity•2.---isbeyondthegraspoftheworkingpoorwhomustworktwojobstoinsuretheirfamily’ssurvival.•3.---anewAmericanDreamwithlessfocusonfinancialgainandmoreemphasisonlivingasimple,fulfillinglife.AuthorBackground•oneofthebest-knownSouthAsianAmericanwomanwriters•BornJuly27,1940)(age69)Professor,Novelist,Essayist,•ShortStoryWriter,Author,•FictionWriter,NonfictionWriter•Nationality:India,UnitedStates,Canada•Notablework(s):•TheTiger’sDaughter•JasmineAuthorBackground•ASouthAsian-Americanwriter•Or•AnAmericanWriter?•“IfeelveryAmerican...IknewthemomentIlandedasastudentin1961...thatthisiswhereIbelonged.Itwasaninstantkindoflove.”IntensiveReading1.“America,”incontrast,existsasamythofdemocracyandequalopportunitytoliveby,orasanidealgoaltoreach.•Myth:1)anideaorstorythatmanypeoplebelieve,butwhichisnottrue=fallacymythofe.g.:themythofmalesuperiorityexplode/dispelamyth(=showthatitisnottrue)•e.g.:ItwasimportanttodispelthemyththatAidswasagaydisease.•2)anancientstory,especiallyoneinventedinordertoexplainnaturalorhistoricaleventsmythofe.g.:theCreationmyth创世的神话ancientGreekmyths古希腊神话.•3)Urbanmyth:astoryaboutanunusualeventwhichhappenedrecentlythatalotofpeoplebelievealthoughitisprobablynottrueIntensiveReading•2.IamanaturalizedU.S.citizen,whichmeansthat,unlikenative-borncitizens,IhadtoprovetotheU.S.governmentthatImeritedcitizenship.•naturalizev[usuallypassive]•~sb/sth(in...)make(sbfromanothercountry)acitizen(ofthespecifiedcountry)使（外国人）入籍,归化•Examples:•anaturalizedAmericanwhowasborninPoland•出生於波兰而入美国籍的人•She'saGermanwhowasnaturalizedinCanada.•她是入了加拿大籍的德国人.•Englishsportingtermshavebeennaturalizedinmanylanguages.Questionsfordiscussion•1.WhatspecialdutydoesanimmigranttoAmericahavetotake?•2.Whatsocialstatusofimmigrantsisimpliedinparagraph1and2?IntensiveReading•3.WhenIlandedinIowa35yearsago,IfoundmyselfinasocietyinwhichalmosteveryonewasChristian,white,andmoderatelywell-off.•bewell-offforsthhavingplentyofsomething,orasmuchofitasyouneed•We'rewell-offforpublictransporthere.•youdon'tknowwhenyou'rewell-off•BrEspokenusedtotellsomeonethattheyaremorefortunatethantheyrealizeIntensiveReading•4.Theconceptitself—ofapersonnotknowingwhoheorsheis—wasunimaginableinourhierarchical,classification-obsessedsociety.•Obsess:v.[usuallypassive]•ifsomethingorsomeoneobsessesyou,youthinkorworryaboutthemallthetimeandyoucannotthinkaboutanythingelse-usedtoshowdisapproval•beobsessedby/withsth/sb使窘困,使烦扰,使着迷;缠住•e.g.:Alotofyounggirlsareobsessedbytheirweight.•Thefearofdeathobsessedherthroughoutheroldage.•beobsessingabout/oversth/sbinformaltothinkaboutsomethingorsomeonemuchmorethanisnecessaryorsensible•e.g.:Stopobsessingaboutyourhair.It'sfine.IntensiveReading•5.One’sidentitywasfixed,derivedfromreligion,caste,patrimony,andmothertongue.•derivev~sthfromsth(formal)obtainsthfromsth;getsthfromsth得到;获取derivepleasure/enjoymentetc•Example:derivegreatpleasurefromone'sstudies•~fromsthhavesthasastarting-point,sourceororigin;originatefromsth源自;源於:•Example:ThousandsofEnglishwords(are)derive(d)fromLatin.•~sthfromsthtracesthfrom(asource)对某事物追本穷源IntensiveReading•6.Brahmin:ThefirstofthefourHinduclasses,responsibleforofficiatingatreligiousritesandstudyingandteachingtheVedas.“•婆罗门:印度教四个阶级中的最高阶级,负责执掌宗教仪式和学习及教授《吠陀经》。IntensiveReading•7.…andimpulsivelymarriedhimduringalunchbreakinalawyer’sofficeaboveacoffeeshop.•Impulsive:adj.someonewhoisimpulsivedoesthingswithoutconsideringthepossibledangersorproblemsfirst•e.g.:Rosawasimpulsiveandsometimesregrettedthingsshe'ddone.•Sheisanimpulsiveperson;weneverknowwhatshewilldonext.•impulsivelyadv•e.g.:'Oh,Anne,Idoloveyou!'hesaidimpulsively.IntensiveReading•8.Thisactcutmeoffforeverfromtherulesandwaysofupper-middle-classlifeinBengal,andhurledmeintoaNewWorldlifeofscaryimprovisationsandheadyexplorations.•Hurl:v.tothrowsomethingwithalotofforce,especiallybecauseyouareangry猛力投掷•e.g.:Hehurledthebrickthroughthewindow.hurlabuse/insults/accusationsetc(atsb):toshoutatsomeoneinaloudandangryway激烈地说；愤怒地大叫•e.g.:Hehurledcurses.•Thecrowdhurledabuseatthepolice.•hurlyourselfat/againstetcsb/sthalsohurlyourselfdowntothrowyourselfatsomeoneorsomethingwithalotofforce•e.g.:Thebestwaytoforgetyoursadnessistohurlyourselfintoyo