研究奥巴马就职演讲中的美国价值观.docx

研究奥巴马就职演讲中的美国价值观.docx

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研究奥巴马就职演讲中的美国价值观

Acknowledgments

Thanksforgivingmethischancetoachievethispaperandtomakeaconclusionformyfouryears’universityeducation.Throughwritingthispaper,IhaveacquiredmoreknowledgethanIsupposed.

Mysincerethanksareduetomysupervisor，Ms.ZouQiangzhen,forhelpingmetoclarifymymindsandstrengthenthedepthofmythinking.

Here,Ialsowanttogivemythankstootherteachersandmyclassmateswhogavememuchhelp.Thankyou!

Abstracts

BarackObamaisthefirstAfricanAmericantohaveservedasapresident,aswellasanoutstandingorator.Hisinauguraladdressesattractedmuchattentionbothabroadandathomeeversincetheirdelivery.HetalksaboutAmericanconditionsinthreeways—individual,societyandcountry,andexpresseshisviewsonlife,freedomaswellasthepursuitofhappiness.Hisaddressesarenotonlytheexpressionofsentencesandtheembodimentofinternalthought,butalsothesideofAmericanculture.ThestudyofthispaperisbasedonObama’stwoinauguralspeeches,andthepaperspecializesinanalyzingthecultureofAmericanvaluesthatcontainedinthesespeeches.DuetothedifferentsystemsofvaluesbetweenChinaandAmerica,ontheonehand,researchingonObama’swonderfulspeechescanallowChinesetohaveabetterrecognitionandunderstandingoftheconcretecontentsofAmericanvalues.Ontheotherhand,itcontributestoafurthercomprehensionofAmericansocietyandcultureandthepromotionofmutualcommunicationsandexchanges.

KeyWords:

Americanvalues;freedom;culture

摘要

奥巴马是美国第一任非洲裔总统，也是一位杰出的演说家。

他的就职演讲发表后引起了国内外广泛的关注，他从个人、社会、国家三个方面讲了美国的形势和国情，也表达了他对生存，自由的看法以及对幸福的追求。

他的演讲不仅仅是言语的表达，内在思想的体现，更是美国文化的侧面体现。

本文以奥巴马的两次就职演讲为研究对象，重点分析了演讲中体现出的美国价值观文化。

由于中美两国不同的价值观体系，研究奥巴马总统的精彩演说一方面有助于中国人更好地认识，理解美国人具体的价值观内容。

另一方面有助于中国人进一步了解美国的社会和文化，增进彼此的沟通和交流

关键词：

美国价值观；自由；文化

Contents

TOC\o"1-3"\h\z\u1.Introduction1

2.ValuesandAmericanValues2

2.1TheDefinitionofValues2

2.2TheDefinitionofAmericanValues2

3.AmericanValuesinInauguralSpeechofObama3

3.1PursuingFreedom3

3.2EmphasizingEquality5

3.3ValuingPractice7

3.4PromotingInnovation8

3.5AdvocatingFairCompetition9

3.6UpholdingHardWork10

4.Conclusion11

Bibliography12

AStudyontheAmericanValuesinInauguralSpeechofBarackObama

1.Introduction

OnJanuary21st,2013,BarackObamadeliveredhissecondinauguraladdresstotheAmericanpublicasthePresidentoftheUnitedStates,andthefirstonewasin2009.BarackObamaisthefirstAfricanAmericantohaveservedasapresident,aswellasanoutstandingorator.Hisinauguraladdresseshaveattractedmuchattentionbothabroadandathomeeversinceitsdelivery.HetalksaboutAmericansituationsinthreeways—individual,societyandcountry.Thesubjectsofhisaddressesarelife,liberty,andthepursuitofhappinessaboutAmericans.ThesetwospeechesnotonlyhaveapowerfulpersuasionbutalsogiveafulldescriptionofAmericanculture.SoitisnecessarytoelaborateonObama’sspeeches.

Throughtheconsultingalargenumberofliteratures,relevantbooksandsearchingrelatedcontentontheInternet,itcanbeseeninrecentyearsthatalotofscholarshaveexploredthesetwospeechesfromdifferentaspectsandgotspectacularfindings.SomescholarsstudyObama’sinauguralspeechesfromtheperspectiveofrhetoric.Forexample,ZhengLinlinstudiestheinfluenceofNeo-AristotelianrhetoriconObama’sspeeches（6）.Somescholarsstudythespeechesfromtheperspectiveoflanguagecharacteristics.Somescholarsbasedonthetheoreticalframeworkoffunctionallinguistics,investigatetheexpressionofinterpersonalmeaninginObama’sinauguraladdressesaswellashowinterpersonalmeaningcontainedinthesourcespeechestextsareconvertedintoChinese.Intermsoffunctionalequivalence,somescholarsanalyzeObama’sspeechesfromtheperspectiveofliterature.Forexample,LiuQianstudythefeatureofliterarystyleofObama’sspeeches（5）.SomescholarsdiscusstheculturalconnotationimpliedinObama’sspeeches,forexample,WangXuemeiandLuoLingzhi’spapertitledObama’sSpeechandAmericanCulture,revealsAmericanuniquepoliticalsystem,traditionalcultureandvalues（80）.

But,fromtheaboveanalysis,itcanbefoundthatfewscholarsmakeafullanalysisofAmericanvaluesimpliedinObama’sinauguraladdresses.Forthisreason,thispaperoffersadiscussionofAmericanvaluesthatcontainedinObama’sinauguraladdresses.WithrespecttothesubstanceofAmericanvalues,thesearehardwork,respectoffreedom,attachingmoreimportancetorealitiesthanvision,thinkinghighlyoffaircompetition,enterpriseandinnovation,worshipequalityandpersonalstruggle.ForthefeatureofAmericanvalues,wecanconcludethatitiswidelyinclusiveconfluence,andmoreorlessbeeninfluencedbytheirreligiousbeliefs.

Americaemergedfrom13Britishcoloniesatthattime,butnowitisadevelopedcountryonaglobescale,aninternationallypoliticalandculturalforceandaleaderinscientificresearchandtechnologicalinnovations.SothispaperprobesintoAmericanvaluesinObama’sinauguralspeechescanallowChinesetohaveabetterrecognitionandunderstandingoftheconcretecontentsofAmericanvalues.Inadditionto,itcontributestoafurthercomprehensionofAmericansocietyandcultureandthepromotionofmutualcommunicationsandexchanges

2.ValuesandAmericanValues

InordertohaveadeepunderstandingofAmericanvaluesembodiedinObama’sinauguralspeeches,itisnecessarytohaveaclearideawhatarevaluesandwhatareAmericanvalues.

2.1TheDefinitionofValues

Valuesarethebasiccriteriathatpeopleusetomeasuresomething.Theyarethewayofthinking,thereflectionofanation’straditionalcultureandpsychologicalquality.Thenaturalandsocialenvironmentwherepeoplelive,aswellaspeople’ssocialstatusandlivingconditions,allofthosedeterminewhatkindofvaluespeoplehave.Peoplelivinginthesameenvironmentwillformsimilarvalues.Soeverysocietyhasitsownvalueswhichareacceptedbythewholepublic.Inlightofethics,valuesrefertothedegreeofsignificanceofsomethingorsomebehavior,withtheaimofdeterminingwhatisbestbehaviororwhatisbestwaytolive.Valuesarecharacterizedbyobjectivity,subjectivity,sociallyhistoricalattributionandmultipledimensions.Valuesdominatepeople’sfaith,attitude,outlookandbehavior,buttheyareofrelativestabilityanddurability.People’svaluesarerelativelystableinspecificlocations,atparticulartimes,undergivenconditions.Forexample,peoplealwayshavetheirownrulestocommentonsomething.Theirviewswillnotchangeunlesstheconditionsvary.Ofcourse,withthechangeoftheireconomicstatus,lifevaluesandworldoutlook,people’svaluesareindevelopment（Wang81）.

Valuesvaryfrompersontoperson.Everyonehashisownvaluesbecauseeveryonehashisownlifeexperienceandsocialbackground.Personalvaluesprovideaninternalreferenceforwhatisgood,beneficial,important,useful,beautiful,desirableandconstructive.Valuesgeneratebehaviorandinfluencethechoicesmadebyanindividual.Valuesrelatetothenormsofaculture,buttheyaremoreglobalandabstractthannorms,valuesareabstractconceptsofwhatisimportantandworthwhile.

Valueshaveacloserelationshipwithcultures,cultureisthesumofmaterialcivilizationandspiritualcivilizationcreatedbya countryoranationduringtheprocessofsocialdevelopment.Valuesarethereflectionthatpeoplehaveforsocialexistence,whichbelongtospiritualwealth.Therefore,theformationofvaluesisbasedondifferentculturalbackgrounds.Differentculturesreflectthedifferentvalues.Makingadeepanalysisofvaluesishelpfulforknowingmoreaboutoneculture.

2.2TheDefinitionofAmericanValues

America,duetoitsmuchshorterhistory,vastlandarea,multipleracesandbeliefs,formsitsownuniquevalues.ThecontentsofAmericanvaluesincludethefollowing:

Upholdinghardworkreferstofightforindividualandcountrywiththeaimofleadingbetterlife.

Pursuingfreedommeanspersonalfreedomisprotectedbysomelawsandcountry’sfreedommaintainsbyitsprosperousnationalstrengthandpowerfulmilitaryforce.

ValuingpracticereferstoAmericanpublicthinkhighlyofrealitiesmorethanwords, theywillmakeachoiceaccordingtothespecificconditions.

EmphasizingequalitymeanseverycitizenistreatedequallywhetherheisfromthestreetsofDetroittothehillofAppalachiaorthequietlanesofNewtown.

Promotinginnovationmeanstoimprove,itcanbeeasilyseeninAmerica,forinstance,presidentialelectionandalargeamountofinventions.

AdvocatingfaircompetitionmeansAmericanwillstruggletogetwhathewant,theybelievethatcompetitioncanproducechallengeandpressure,whicharebeneficialtotheirenterpriseandeconomy.

3.AmericanValuesinInauguralSpeechofObama

AmericanvaluesarebestembodiedinObama’stwoinauguralspeeches.UnlikeChinese,Americaismainlyanationofimmigrants,itsvaluesowedtomuchitshistory,ideology,politicandsoon.Asaconsequenceofthesefactors,thisresearchitselfisenormous,abundantandcomplex.Sotheauthorintroducestheseitemsrespectively,forthepurposeofgivingafulldiscussionofAmericanvaluesfromObama’sinauguralspeeches.Throughtheoverallanalyses,itiseasyforpeopletomastertheliteralmeaningstoadeepdegree.

3.1PursuingFreedom

Obamasaid:

FreedomisagiftfromGod,itmustbesecuredbyhispeoplehereonearth,preservingAmericanindividualfreedomultimatelyrequirescollectiveaction.WedonotbelievethatinUnitedStates,freedomisreservedforthelucky.Americ