Tales of the Terrible Past

　　It is not the job of fiction writers to analyze and interpret history. Yet by writing about the past in a vivid and compelling manner，storytellers can bring earlier eras to life and force readers to consider them seriously. Among those taking on the task of recounting history are some black writers who attempt to examine slavery from different points of view.

　　Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison deals specifically with the legacy of slavery in her book Beloved. The main character in this novel，a former slave called Sethe，lives in Ohio in the years following the Civil War，but she cannot free herself from her horrific memories. Through a series of flashbacks and bitter reminiscences，the reader learns how and why Sethe escaped from the plantation she had lived on; the fate of her husband，who also tried to escape; and finally，what happened to the child called Beloved. Morrison's scenes of torture and murder are vivid and strongly convey the desperation of the slaves and the cruelty of their owners.

　　Charles Johnson's Middle Passage approaches slavery from a different，yet no less violent，vantage point. His main character，Rutherfprd Calhoun，is a ne'er-do-well free black American who stows away on a slave ship bound for Africa to collect its "cargo". Put to work after he is discovered，Calhoun witnesses firsthand the appalling conditions in which the captured Africans are transported. When they finally rebel and take over the ship，he finds himself in the middle -- and is forced to come to terms with who he is and what his values are.

　　Neither Beloved nor Middle Passage is an easy read，but both exemplify African American writers' attempts to bring significant historical situations alive for a modem audience.

　　詞匯:

　　interpret   v. 解釋，翻譯

　　desperation   n. 絕望的境地

　　recount   v. 敘述

　　capture v. 俘獲

　　slavery   n. 奴隸制度

　　注釋:

　　1. Yet by writing about the past in a vivid and compelling manner，storytellers can bring earlier eras to life and force readers to consider them seriously. 然而通過用一種生動有趣的方式來描寫過去，小說家可以將早期時(shí)代重現(xiàn)，并引起讀者的重視。

　　2. His main character. Rutherford Calhoun. is a ne'er-do-well free black American who stows away on a slave ship bound for Africa to collect its "cargo" .他的主人公叫做 Rutherford Calhoun，是一個游手好閑，身份自由的美國黑人。他偷偷登上了一艘開往非洲販賣奴隸的船只。

　　練習(xí):

　　1. This passage is mostly about__________.

　　A) the causes of slavery in America

　　B) black writers in the late 20th century

　　C) why Morrison and Johnson wrote the books they did

　　D) two novels that deal with slavery

　　2. Beloved is set__________.

　　A) on a slave ship

　　B) on a plantation before the Civil War

　　C) in Ohio after the Civil War

　　D) in an African town

　　3. The writer seems to feel that__________.

　　A) eveyone should read Morrison's and Johnson's novels

　　B) the books are worthwhile but challenging

　　C) black writers should ignore racial issues

　　D) we will repeat the past if we don’t learn about it

　　4. The writer emphasizes that the two books are similar in their__________.

　　A) use of flashbacks

　　B) treatment of women

　　C) criticism of whites

　　D) portrayal of violence

　　5. The word appalling means__________.

　　A) terrible

　　B) surprising

　　C) guilty

　　D) unrealistic

　　答案與題解:

　　1. D 本題問的是:這篇文章主要講什么? A的意思是美國奴隸制的原因。B的意思是20世紀(jì)的黑人作家。C的意思是莫里森和約翰遜寫書的原因。D的意思是關(guān)于奴隸制的兩本小說。本文主要介紹了莫里森和約翰遜各自關(guān)于奴隸制的小說的主要內(nèi)容，因此D是正確的答案。

　　2. C 本題問的是:“寵兒”的設(shè)置背景是什么?根據(jù)第二段的第二句話:a fornier slave called Sethe，lives in Ohio in the years following the Civil War可知其背景是在內(nèi)戰(zhàn)之后的俄亥俄州。因此C是正確的答案。

　　3. B 本題問的是:作者的感覺是什么?A的意思是每個人都應(yīng)該讀莫里森和約翰遜的小說。B的意思是這些作品非常值得寫但又很有挑戰(zhàn)性。C的意思是黑人作家應(yīng)當(dāng)忽略種族問題。D的意思是如果我們沒有學(xué)習(xí)過去，那么這些過去會重現(xiàn)。A，C，D原文沒有體現(xiàn)，因此B是正確的答案。

　　4.D 本題問的是:作者強(qiáng)調(diào)兩部作品的共同之處是什么?根據(jù)第三段的第一句話:yet no less violent可知兩部作品都有對暴力的描寫。因此D是正確的答案。

　　5. A 本題問的是:appalling的意思是什么?根據(jù)第三段對運(yùn)送非洲人去美國的描述可知，此狀況必然是不好的，糟糕的。A的意思是糟糕的。B的意思是令人驚訝的。C的意思是有罪的。D的意思是不現(xiàn)實(shí)的。因此根據(jù)文意，A是正確的答案。