Lecture Notes for UNIT 6.docx

Lecture Notes for UNIT 6.docx

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LectureNotesforUNIT6

I.TextIntroduction

JamesAlbertMichener,inthistext,showsreaderschangesofAmericansocietyin:

politics,courtshipandmarriage,feminist;andalsotheexistenceofthreeseriousproblemsin:

schooleducation,jobopportunitiesandwelfare,andhousingfortheyoung.

Despitetheseproblems,thewriterfeelsconfidentthatAmericahasgoodprospects.Hefeelsproudofhismotherland,ofthegreatAmericanpeople,andoftheuniqueAmericandemocraticsystem.

II.CultureNotes

1.Puritanism（Paragraph3）

thepracticesanddoctrinesofthePuritanswhoweremembersofagroupofProtestantsin16th-and17th-centuryEnglandand17th-centuryAmericawhobelievedinstrictreligiousdisciplineandcalledforthesimplificationofactsofworship.ThemovementwasanattempttoremoveRomanCatholicinfluencesfromtheChurchofEngland.

TextIntroduction|CultureNotes|Author|Structure

2.balancedsystemofgovernment（Paragraph8）

TheconceptreferstothethreebranchesoftheUnitedStatesgovernment—thelegislative,theexecutive,andthejudicial—thatrestrainandstabilizeoneanotherthroughtheirseparatedfunctions.Thelegislativebranch,representedbytheCongress,mustpassbillsbeforetheycanbecomelaw.Theexecutivebranch—namely,thepresident—canvetobillspassedbytheCongress,thuspreventingthemfrombecominglaw.Inturn,byatwo-thirdsvote,theCongresscanoverridethepresident'sveto.TheSupremeCourtmayinvalidateactsoftheCongressbydeclaringthemcontrarytotheConstitutionoftheUnitedStates,buttheCongresscanchangetheConstitutionthroughtheamendmentprocess.

III.Author

JamesAlbertMichener（1907-1997）,Americanwriter,becameknownforthevoluminousresearchheincorporatesandmakesaccessibleandinterestinginhiswritings.Hisbookstypicallyprovideadetaileddiscussionofthehistoryandgeographyofspecificregions.HiswiderangingwritingcareerbeganwhenhisexperiencesduringWorldWarIIprovidedthematerialforabookofshortstories,TalesoftheSouthPacific（1947）;forwhichhereceivedthe1984PulitzerPrizeinfiction.

HisotherworksincludeSayonara（1954）;Hawaii（1959）;Chesapeake（1978）;TheCovenant（1980）;Poland（1982）;Texas（1985）;andAlaska（1988）;TheNovel（1991）;Recessional（1994）;AMiracleinSeville（1995）;TheBridgeatAndau（1957）;Iberia:

SpanishTravelsandReflections（1968）;AMichenerMiscellany:

1950-1970（1973）;Michener'smemoir,TheWorldIsMyHome（1992）.

IV.StructuralAnalysis

PartI

（1）reality:

Americansstillfollowmanyoftheoldways,similaritiesfargreaterthandifferences.

PartII

（2-4）majorchangesinAmericansociety,andthewriter’sattitudestowardsthechanges

PartIII

（5-7）mainproblemsinAmericansocietyandtheirreasons

PartIV

（8-9）whyAmericahasgoodprospectsandwhytheAmericansystemhassurvivedandshouldsurvive

SectionThreeDetailedReading

HOWAMERICALIVES

JamesAlbertMichener

1.Americansstillfollowmanyoftheoldways.Inatimeofrapidchangeitisessentialthatwerememberhowmuchoftheoldweclingto.Youngpeoplestillgetmarried（2.41millioncoupleslastyearasopposedtoonly1.52millionin1960）.Ofcourse,manydogetdivorced,buttheyremarryatastonishingrates.Theyhavechildren,butfewerthanbefore.Theybelongtochurches,eventhoughtheyattendsomewhatlessfrequently,andtheywanttheirchildrentohavereligiousinstruction.Theyarewillingtopaytaxesforeducation,andtheygenerouslysupportinstitutionslikehospitals,museumsandlibraries.Infact,whenyoucomparetheAmericaoftodaywiththatof1950,thesimilaritiesarefargreaterthanthedifferences.

2.Americansseemtobegrowingconservative.The1980election,especiallyfortheSenateandHouseofRepresentatives,signaledadecidedturntotherightinsofaraspoliticalandsocialattitudeswereconcerned.Itisasifourcountryspentthe1960sand1970sjealouslybreakingoutofoldrestraintsandnowwishestoputthebrakeson,ascautiouspeopleoftendoafterabinge.Weshouldexpecttoseeareaffirmationoftraditionalfamilyvalues,sharprestraintsonpornography,areturntoreligionandarejectionofcertainkindsofsociallegislation.

3.Patternsofcourtshipandmarriagehavechangedradically.Wheresexwasconcerned,Iwasraisedinanatmosphereofsuspicion,repressionandPuritanism,andalthoughhuskyyoungkidscansurvivealmostanything,manyinmygenerationsufferedgrievously.Withoutreservation,Iapplaudthefreerpatternsoftoday,althoughIbelievethatit'sbeendifficultforsomefamiliestohandlethechanges.

4.Americanwomenarechangingtherules.ThirtyyearsagoIcouldnothaveimaginedagroupofwomenemployeessuingamajorcorporationformillionsofdollarsofsalarywhich,theyalleged,hadbeendeniedthembecausetheyhadbeendiscriminatedagainst.NorcouldIimaginewomeninuniversitiesgoinguptothemenwhorantheathleticprogramsanddemandingajustshareofthephysicaleducationbudget.Buttheyaredoingthis—andwiththesupportofmanymenwhorecognizethejusticeoftheirclaims.Atwork,atplay,atalllevelsoflivingwomenaresuggestingnewrules.

5.Americaisworriedaboutitsschools.IfIhadachildtoday,Iwouldsendherorhimtoaprivateschoolforthesakeofsafety,forthedisciplinethatwouldbeenforcedandfortherigorousacademicrequirements.ButIwoulddoubtthatthechildwouldgetanybettereducationthanIdidinmygoodpublicschool.Theproblemisthatgoodpublicschoolsarebecomingpitifullyrare,andIwouldnotwanttotakethechancethattheoneIsentmychildrentowasinadequate.

DetailedReading

6.SomeAmericansmustliveonwelfare.Sinceitseemsobviousthatournationcanproduceallitsneedswithonlyapartoftheavailableworkforce,somekindofsocialwelfareassistancemustbedoledouttothosewhocannotfindjobs.WhenIthinkofatypicalwelfarerecipientIthinkofayoungneighborwomanwhosehusbandwaskilledinatragicaccident,leavingherwiththreeyoungchildren.Inthebadolddaysshemighthaveknowndestitution,butwithfamilyassistanceshewasabletoholdherchildrentogetherandproducedthreefine,tax-payingcitizens.Ilikethatkindofsocialassistanceandamwillingtosupportit.Americaisessentiallyacompassionatesociety.

7.Americacannotfindhousingforitsyoungfamilies.IconsiderthisthemostseriousdangerconfrontingfamilylifeinAmerica,andIamappalledthattheconditionhasbeenallowedtodevelop.Formorethanadecade,travelerslikemehavebeenawarethatincountrieslikeSweden,Denmark,RussiaandIndiayoungpeoplehavefounditalmostimpossibletoacquirehomes.InSwedenthecustomarywaitwas11yearsofmarriage,andweusedtoask,"whatwentwrong?

"Itseemedtousthatamajorresponsibilityofanynationwouldbetoprovidehomesforitsyoungpeoplestartingtheirfamilies.Well,thisdreadfulsocialsicknesshasnowovertakentheUnitedStates,andforthesamereasons.Thebuildersinoursocietyfinditprofitabletoerectthree-bathroomhomesthatsellfor$220,000withamortgageat19percentbutfinditimpossibletoerectsmallhomesforyoungmarrieds.Foramajornationtoshowitselfimpotenttohouseitsyoungpeopleisadmittingafailurethatmustbecorrected.

8.Ourprospectsarestillgood.Ifindourchancestobeatleastasgoodasthoseofanyothernationandprobablybetter.Wehaveaphysicalsettingofremarkableintegrity,theworld'sbestagriculture,asplendidwealthofminerals,greatriversforirrigationandanunsurpassedsystemofroadsfortransportation.Wealsohaveamagnificentmixtureofpeoplesfromallthecontinentswithvariedtraditionsandstrengths.Butmostofall,wehaveauniqueandbalancedsystemofgovernment.

9.IthinkofAmericaashavingtheoldestformofgovernmentonearth,becausesincewestartedourpresentdemocracyin1789,everyothernationhassufferedeitherparliamentarychangeorrevolutionarychange.Itisoursystemthathassurvivedandshouldsurvive,givingthemaximumnumberofpeopleamaximumchanceforhappiness.

I.Analysis

Paragraph1Analysis

Thefirstparagraphistheintroductorypartoftheessay.ItmentionsandillustratesthemainideathatAmericansstillfollowmanyoftheoldwaysthoughdifferencesareobviousinAmericanlife.ThelastsentencetellsusthatacomparisonoftheAmericaoftodaywiththatof1950showsthattherearemoresimilaritiesthandifferences.

DetailedReading

Paragraphs2-4Analysis

Thesethreeparagraphs,thesecondpartoftheessay,tellusaboutthemajorchangesthathavetakenplaceandthatareoccurringinAmericanlife.FromtheseparagraphswegettoknowthatAmericansaregrowingconservative,thattheyhavechangedtheirpatternsofcourtshipandmarriage,enjoyingmuchmorefreedominthesetwoaspects,andthatAmericanwomenarechangingtheoldrulesandsuggestingnewrules.Afterreadingthesethreeparagraphs,wecanalsohaveaclearideaofthewriter'sattitudetowardsthesechangesinAmericanlife.Obviously,hefullysupportsandwelcomesthem.

Paragraph5-7Analysis

Thesethreeparagraphs,thethirdpartoftheessay,pointoutthemainproblemsinAmericansociety:

Americanschoolsarenotasgoodasbefore;Americanswhocannotfindjobsdonotgetsufficientwelfare;Americashowsitselfimpotenttohouseitsyoungpeople.Fromtheseparagraphs,wecanalsoseethewriter'sopinionsoftheseproblems.

Paragraph8-9Analysis

Thesetwoparagraphs,theconcludingpartoftheessay,drawourattentiontothewriter'sopinionsofthenation'sprospectsanditssystem.Itisworthnotingthatthewriter