Lesson 1：salvation.doc

Lesson oneSalvation (saving of the soul from sin. The word has a strong religious connotation)Langston hughes: (February 1, 1902 May 22, 1967) 蓝斯顿休斯(Langston Hughes)是1920年代的非裔美人艺术运动：哈林文艺复兴运动(Harlem Renaissance)中，最重要的作家及思想家之一。哈林文艺复兴运动是一项用来颂扬黑人的生活及文化的活动。休斯的创作深受他在纽约市哈林区的生活影响，哈林区是最主要的非裔美人居住地区。他的文学作品有助塑造美国文学及政治。就像其他活跃于哈林文艺复兴运动中的艺术家，休斯也拥有强烈的种族自尊；藉由他所创作的诗词、小说、剧本、散文及童书，他提倡平等、诅咒种族歧视及不公，并赞美非裔美人的文化、幽默感及灵性。Langston Hughes was one of the most important writers and thinkers of the Harlem Renaissance, which was the African American artistic movement in the 1920s that celebrated black life and culture. Hughess creative genius was influenced by his life in New York Citys Harlem, a primarily African American neighborhood. His literary works helped shape American literature and politics. Hughes, like others active in the Harlem Renaissance, had a strong sense of racial pride. Through his poetry, novels, plays, essays, and childrens books, he promoted equality, condemned racism and injustice, and celebrated African American culture, humor, and spirituality. .Salvation: (summary) Langston Hughes creates a past experience into a true to life drama of guilt, deception, and grief, in Salvation. He reveals the story of how he was forced into receiving Christ by his peers, relatives, and preacher. Helpless and alone, he struggles against overwhelming odds. After a long-winded sermon the children of the congregation are asked to come forward and accept Jesus.Instead of moving forward, Langston waits for the Lord to come to him. When nothing happens, Langston goes forward anyway just to please his aunt and the church. In the end he is not only grief-stricken, but has Lost all belief in God.1. sin vs crime: (note: p.5)2. going on thirteen: get nearer- I dont know her exact age, but she may be forty-one going on forty-two.3. revival: a series of meetings (called revivial meetings【宗】复兴布道会;), characterized by public confession of sins and declaration of renewed faith in religion, intended to bring back the religious enthusiasm among people. 4. by leaps and bounds: Very quickly非常快地：growing by leaps and bounds.长得飞快5. to bring the young lamb to the fold: to bring the children into the Christian community6. escorted and placed: formal words, in place of the more usual “taken and seated”, to mark the solemnity of the occasion: under the escort of.7. mourners bench: a front seats at a revival meeting, reserved for those who are to make professions of penitence.Second paragraph:1. my aunt told me that when you were saved you saw a light: “you” here is an informal style, referring to people in general. A formal substitution of “you” here is the pronoun “one.”2. God was with you from then on (since then).3. she said you could see and hear and feel Jesus in your sould. (why the repetition of “and ): creating an impression that what the aunt had chattered about could go on and on. Contrasted with this long string, the abruptly short sentence “I believe her” placed immediately after, is extremely effective in telling of the cholds readiness to believe. For the same stylistic reason, single-sentence paragraphs such as para. 5 and 12 interposed between long paragraphs, stand out particularly and so give prominence to certain key events. “still I kept waiting to see Jesus”(apr. 5) reflects the boys haive piety. “so I got up” (par. 12) indicates a sudden realization, a transition from simplicity to worldliness.Third paragraphall moansof hell: “of hell” modifies all the four preceding nouns (moansgroans, dire-dreadful) . also note the alliteration and rhyming in the following: the ninety and nine safe in the fold, but one little lamb was left out in the cold. Paragraph 4Old women with jet-black faces and braided hair, old men with work-gnarled hands (tell us sth. about the people): Gnarled: 饱经风霜的：粗糙的，the gnarled hands of a carpenter.木匠那双粗糙的手And the church sang a song about the lower lights are burning, some poor sinners to be saved: the church means all the people in the church. Rehtorically, it is a metonymy (转喻) A figure of speech in which one word or phrase is substituted for another with which it is closely associated, as in the use ofWashington for the United States government or of the sword for military power. 换喻，转喻：一种一个词或词组被另一个与之有紧密联系的词或词组替换的修辞方法，如用华盛顿代替美政府或用剑代替军事力量1.The kettle boils.壶水开。(用the kettle壶，表示 the water in the kettle 壶水)2.He is fond of the bottle.他喜欢喝酒。（用bottle装酒的瓶子，表示wine酒）3.Grey hairs should be respected.老人应受到尊重。（用grey hairs白发，表示old people老人)4.The pen is mightier than the sword.笔要比剑更锋利。（用pen笔，表示article文章）5.I am reading Lu Hsun.我在读鲁迅的作品。（用Lu Hsun鲁迅，表示Lu Hsuns works鲁迅的作品） Lower lights: lights in hell. Hell is thought to be a place of great heat and danger, with eternal fires burning. Paragraph 5: I kept waiting to see Jesus. (why italicized)-to see Jesus with his naked eyes. Paragraph 7: I was left all alone.: “all” is an emphasizer.- I am all in favor of your proposal. The milk is all gone. Paragraph 11:I began to be ashamed of myself, holding everything up so long: the reason for being ashamed is introduced by “for”, which however is often omittedl You should be ashamed of yourself, telling lies to a neighbour.God had not struck Westley dead for taking his name in vain or for lying in the temple: Sturck sb. Dead: kill sb.Take sbs name in vain: 滥用名字 (to talk disrespectfully about sb, without his knowledge, to another person.) In the case of Westley, it refers to his curse “God damn”Paragraph 13The whole room broke into a sea of shouting.leaped in the air. The whole room of peopleBroke into=burst into-break into song/ laughter/ applause/ cheers/ tears/ shoutsA sea of.; waves of: metaphors / the place was a sea of flame.Women leaped in the air: exaggeration-Paragraph 14: Hushed silence: dead silence Punctuated by a few ecstatic “Amens”: broken intermittently or from time to time-The professor punctuated his lecture with a few well-chosen jokes.教授在讲演中不时插入几个适当的笑话。Ecstatic: joyfulAmen: May it be soAll the new young lambs were blessed in the anme of God: In the name of;: with the authority of, on behalf of -I arrest you in the name of the law.Holy Ghost: The Holy Spirit.圣灵 I couldnt bear to tell her.: followed by infinitive or gerundShe cant bear being/to be laughed at.Structural analysis of the textThe two opening sentences are the guide for the whole plot. It is within the conflict between “being saved” and not being saved that the story zigzags its course to the conclusion.Paragraph 1 introduces the background (when and where)At the beginning of the story (2-5) the narrator recounts what he has heard about Jesus from old people and how he waits piously for Jesus to come.The conflict between what the boy has been tole and what he has seen himself at the meeting becomes intensified as, in the middle of the story (6), all the young people have gone to the altar but the narrator and Westley.The climax is reached when the narrator alone is left unsaved after his last fellow sinner is aved by tellin a lie (7-10)The conflict is resolved (11-14) when the boy also tells a lie and is thus “saved ” from both sin and trouble.The concluding paragraph reveals the narrators remorseful disillusionment with religion. The revelation is as satirical and indignant as the two opening sentences. He is saved in the sense that the religious ritual has been com0pleted or he has answered the expectation of the old people, but he is not saved in any sense of reality. In fact, he feels has has committed a sin by lying to everyone. ExercisesTranslation1. 许多人滥用上帝的名义。翻译： many people take too much advantage of the authority of God. Or Many people do things in the name of God too often.To tak Gods name in vain is either to speak of God without proper respect or to us Gods name in cursing, a meaning somewhat different from that of the original sentence in Chinese. 2 我代表中国人民向您表示热烈欢迎。翻译： I extend you a (n) cordial/ enthusiastic/ warm welcome in the name of the Chinese people. (on behalf of .) (extend ones congratulations向.致贺; render thanks; rendered homage.表示感谢；致以敬意)3 工厂的生产突飞猛进。翻译：production in the factory was increasing/going up by leaps and bounds. 4 让我护送你到家。翻译：Let me escort you home. （He convoyed her home.他伴送她回家。）5 暴风雨终于平息了。翻译：the storm quieted down at last. (The wind subsided to a calm.风平息了。Calm down)6 他的演讲不断被一阵阵掌声所打断。翻译：his speech was punctuated by/with bursts of applause. / round after round of applause punctuated his speech. (interrupt )7 你在这个句子中漏掉了一个词。翻译：you have left out a word in the sentence. (miss/omit)8 如果你每天阅读英文报纸，你的英文水平就会很快提高。翻译：If you read English newspapers everyday, your English should improve by leaps and bounds./ you can expect to raise your English level by leaps and bounds. 最好用English proficiency, your English, your knowledge of English 9 该货物将依法充公。 翻译：the goods will be confiscated in the name of the law. 10 四辆警察的摩托车一路护卫着总统的汽车。翻译：four police motorcycles escorted the Prtesidents car all along the way.word study那位电影明星走下飞机时，立刻就被欢呼的影迷围住了。翻译：when the movie star stepped off the plane, he was immediately sur