Unit 6 Flagfever.docx
《Unit 6 Flagfever.docx》由会员分享,可在线阅读,更多相关《Unit 6 Flagfever.docx(8页珍藏版)》请在冰豆网上搜索。
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.
5
Withanennoblingwallop,patriotismhassinceinspiredadeeplyfeltandclasslesssenseofcommunity.Charitablegiftshaveskyrocketed,ashavesalesofflagsandstocksofdonatedblood.Firemenandpoliceofficers,whodefinethemselvesbysacrificeandserviceratherthanbystatusandstockoptions,havebecomeobjectsofmassadulation.Accordingtosomereports,ironyhasdied.
10
NewYorkCity,theerstwhileepicenterofselfishnessandsin,hasbeenjudgedinitstimeoftrialandfoundgoodbymorethan8outof10Americans.PerhapsboundariesweremeltingbetweentheRedZone,theconservativeheartlandthatvotedfortheRepublicanpresident,andtheBlueZone,wherecoastalliberalshadclungtodoubtsaboutPresidentBush'sworkethic,hisjudgmentandhisintelligence.
35
30
25
20
15
(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.
65
60
55
50
45
40
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.
100
95
90
85
80
75
70
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.
105
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