Unit 6 Flagfever.docx

Unit 6 Flagfever.docx

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Unit6Flagfever

Unit6

TextAFlag-Fever:

theParadoxofPatriotism

ByBlaineHarden

ThispassageistakenfromtheNewYorkTimesbyBlaineHarden.ItrevealsthetruenatureofthepatriotismintheU.S.AafterSeptember18terroristattack.

Understandingtextorganization

Readthepassagethroughandthendecidewherethefollowingsentencesshouldgo

a）“Yet,fromthemomentsuicidetouristssteeredairplanesintotheWorldTradeCenterandthePentagon,theinvidiousparadoxofAmericanpatriotismcamebackintoplay.”

b）“thecountryissuddenlythickwithself-appointedcensors.”

c）“In1918,aMontanacourtsentencedE.V.Starrto20yearsinprisonforrefusingtokissaflag.”

d）Acontentiousandstillunresolvedstruggleoverwhattheflagshouldsymbolizehasbeengoingonsinceatleast1863,whenPresidentLincolnissuedtheEmancipationProclamation.

e）“PatriotismseemsparticularlypotentandpurelyfeltamongthetensofmillionsofAmericanswhocameofageafterthe1960’sandearly70’s.”

Extractingmainideas

Readthepassageagainandthenchoosethebestsummary.

a）Intensenervousexcitementinwavingflags

b）ThenationalexperienceintheeventofSeptember11

c）Contradictorynationalloyalty

UNTILitwasuncorkedbyactsofwaronSept.11,generationsofAmericanshadneverfoundacompellingreasontotakeastiffdrinkofpatriotismortakecomfortinitsunifyinghigh.

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Withanennoblingwallop,patriotismhassinceinspiredadeeplyfeltandclasslesssenseofcommunity.Charitablegiftshaveskyrocketed,ashavesalesofflagsandstocksofdonatedblood.Firemenandpoliceofficers,whodefinethemselvesbysacrificeandserviceratherthanbystatusandstockoptions,havebecomeobjectsofmassadulation.Accordingtosomereports,ironyhasdied.

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NewYorkCity,theerstwhileepicenterofselfishnessandsin,hasbeenjudgedinitstimeoftrialandfoundgoodbymorethan8outof10Americans.PerhapsboundariesweremeltingbetweentheRedZone,theconservativeheartlandthatvotedfortheRepublicanpresident,andtheBlueZone,wherecoastalliberalshadclungtodoubtsaboutPresidentBush'sworkethic,hisjudgmentandhisintelligence.

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（1）_______________________.Constitutionalrightswhichsupposedlyformthecoreofpatriotism'sappeal,suddenlylostgroundtofear.AsithasduringeverymajormilitaryconflictsinceWorldWarI,anationalistundertowthatisculturallyconformist,ethnicallyexclusiveandbelligerentlymilitaristicbegantosilencedissent,spreadfearamongimmigrantsandlockuppeoplewithoutexplanation.

TheWhiteHousepresssecretary.AriFleischer,warnedreportersthatintimeslikethese"peoplehavetowatchwhattheysayandwatchwhattheydo."Inlockstepwithtimeslikethese,looselipshavebeenslappedshut.AsanOregoncolumnist,aUniversityofNewMexicoprofessorandalate-nighttalkshowhostalldiscoveredlastweek,2_______________________________Theyarefiring,discipliningandpullingadvertisingfromthosewhosecommentaryorjokessoundinsufficientlyloyal.

Patriotism'sextraordinarypowertoexpandandconstraintheAmericanspiritishardlynew.Butitseemsnovelnowbecausesomanypeople,includingmanyamongthathugebulgeofthepopulationthatcameofageduringandaftertheVietnamWar,haveneverliveditthemselves.

AheartfeltandreinvigoratingloveofcountryhasnotbeenuniversallyexperiencedintheUnitedStatessincetheKennedyassassination,saidGaryGerstle,aprofessorofhistoryattheUniversityofMarylandandauthorof“AmericanCrucible;RaceandNationintheTwentiethCentury”（PrincetonUniversityPress,2001）.”AfterthecivilrightsmovementandthewarinVietnam,therewasasustainedculturalcrisis,”hesaid“ManyAmericansdidnotwaver,butalotdid.Theyasked,‘Whoarewe?

’‘Arewegood?

’Whatisemergingnowissomethingcompletelydifferent.It’sabroadlybasedconsensusonthevalueofAmerica.”

3______________________Unlikemanyoftheirparents,theycanwavetheflagwithoutthemixedfeelingsofagenerationthatdiditsdarndesttododgemilitaryserviceinanunpopularwarand,inmorethanafewcases,burnedflagsratherthanwavedthem.Unburdenedbysuchmemories—thewarsofthe90’swerealltooshortanddecisivetostirsuchpassions—Americansunder40suddenlyhaveachancetoreimaginethemselves,toparticipateselflesslyinaworld-rousingconflictthatmightdefinethemassomethingotherthanGenerationX,YorZ.Forallitsennoblingkick,historiansagreethatpatriotismhasalmostalwaysbeenatoddswithitself.Itreinforcesasenseofcommunitybyerectingstrongwallstocomfortthoseontheinside.Butoutsidethoseexclusivewalls,ithasahistoryofdenyingequalprotectionunderthelawandmakinglifeseemscary.

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Theflag,asmuchasanysymbol,embodiestheparadox.Assurprisinglyreassuringasithasbeentomanybabyboomerswhohadneverbeforeviewedthemselvesasflag_wavers,ithasbeenunnervingforArab-Americansandotherimmigrantgroups,likeSikhs.”Iseeflagseverywhere,yetmyfirstinstinctisapprehension,”saidNabeelAbraham,anAmerican-bornanthropologistofPalestiniandescentwhoisaco-authorof“ArabDetroit”（WayneStateUniversityPress,2000）,andexaminationofthecountry’soldestandlargestArab-Americancommunity.HesaidmostArab-AmericansandmanyAsianswhocouldbemistakenforArabsarestayinghomeasmuchaspossibleandkeepingquiet.”Wedon’tknowwhattoexpect,”hesaid.“Weexpecttheworst.”ForotherAmericans,notjustthosewhoseethnicitymakethemfeelcoercedbypatriotism,theproliferationofflagsand“GodBlessAmerica”signagecanseemabittoosimplistic,afeel-gooddistractionfromtryingtounderstandamonstrouslypreciseactofsimultaneoussuicide.

4_____________________Sincethen,accordingtoCeciliaElizabethO’Leary,ahistoryprofessoratCaliforniaStateUniversityinMontereyBay,therehavebeenAmericanswhodefinetheflagasprimarilyasymbolofequalrightsandsocialjusticeunderthelaw.ItwasnotuntilWorldWarI,shesaid,whenfederalandstategovernmentsjoinedforceswithright-wingorganizationsandvigilantes,thattheflag’segalitarianresonancewasdrownedoutbyjingoism.

5____________________AsProfessorO’Learynotedin“ToDieFor:

TheParadoxofAmericanPatriotism”（PrincetonUniversityPress,1999）,anappealsjudgereluctantlydecidedhecouldnotreversethesentence.Buthedidcondemnthewaythatpatriotism,withtheapprovalofgovernmentauthorities,haddevolvedintoakindof“fanaticism.”Sincethen,thestrengthofexclusionarypatriotismhaswaxedandwaned,usuallyasacorollaryoffear,withabusesmostwidespreadwhenthefederalgovernmentplaysasupportingrole.InthefrenzythatfollowedWorldWarI,thePalmerraids,ledbyanattorneygeneralwhosehousehadbeenbombed,includedthedetention,beatingsanddeportationsofthousandsofpeople,mostofthemimmigrants.Eachsuccessivewarfeatureditsownshamefulexcess.WorldWarIIhadtheinternmentof110,000Japanese,theKoreanWarcoincidedwithMcCarthyism,andduringtheVietnamconflicttheF.B.I.infiltratedantiwargroups.

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LessthanthreeweeksintoAmerica’slatestflushofflag-wavingfervor,it’stooearlytoknowifpatriotism’sundertowwillcausesystemicabusesofcivilliberties.Thesignals,sofar,aremixed.

TheBushadministration’srequestforauthoritytodetainsuspectedterroristsindefinitelyhasrunintooppositionfromseniorDemocratsandRepublicansinCongress.Evenharshcriticsoftheadministration,likeMichaelMaggio,animmigrationexpert,saytheWhiteHouseseemstobeabletosensewhenithasgonetoofar.

“Ihavebeenimpressedbytheadministration’swillingnesstobackawayfromsomeofitsmostoutlandishproposals,”hesaid,referringtoanearlierplan,nowdiscarded,todeportforeign-bornlegalresidentssuspectedofterroristinvolvement.

Perhapsmostreassuring,forAmericanswhothirstforabrandofpatriotismthatelevatestheirspiritsandprotectsminorities,arePresidentBush’srepeatedcallsforethnicandreligioustolerance,alongwithhishighlypublicizedmeetingswithArab,MuslimandSikhleaders.

“Aslongasthiscontinues,itbodeswellforinclusionandtolerance,”saidProfessorGerstle,attheUniversityofMaryland.”Butthisisaveryfluidmoment.Whathappensifanotherairlinerhitsabuilding?

ManypeoplearegoingtobeoutforrevengeifAmericanboysgetkilled.”TheworstabusesagainstimmigrantAmericansoccurrednotatthebeginningofWorldWarI,butattheend,whenthefederalgovernmentlosttouchwithConstitutionalprotectionsandbrieflyjoinedforceswiththemob.

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PresidentBushandhissenioradvisershavewarnedAmericanstoexpectawarthatislong,murkyandunsatisfying.Asmonthsstretchintoyears,itislikelytobeaconflictthatperiodicallyscreamsfortheclarifyingbloodofascapegoat.Ifthepresidentisgoingtocontinuetoinsistonaninclusivekindofpatriotism,home-frontdefenseoftolerancecouldproveasformidableasthewaritself.

Notestothetext

1.Thecivilrightsmovement:

ThebasisforcivilrightsintheUSistheConstitutionanditsfirst10amendments,theBILLOFRIGHT.Thisdeals,forexample,withfreedomofspeech,press,religionandassembly,freedomfromunreasonableseizureandsearches,righttoaspeedypublictrial;andprohibitionofdoublejeopardyandself-incrimination.

2.PalmerraidsAfterWorldWarOneandtheBolshevikRevolutioninRussia,fearofcommunismwasescalatinginAmerica.Everybodyseemedtofeartheso-called“RedMenace”,atermintroducedbyEdgarJ.Hoo