Tales of the Terrible Past

　　It is not the job of fiction writers to analyze and interpret history. Yet by writing about the past in a vivid and compelling manner，storytellers can bring earlier eras to life and force readers to consider them seriously. Among those taking on the task of recounting history are some black writers who attempt to examine slavery from different points of view.

　　Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison deals specifically with the legacy of slavery in her book Beloved. The main character in this novel，a former slave called Sethe，lives in Ohio in the years following the Civil War，but she cannot free herself from her horrific memories. Through a series of flashbacks and bitter reminiscences，the reader learns how and why Sethe escaped from the plantation she had lived on; the fate of her husband，who also tried to escape; and finally，what happened to the child called Beloved. Morrison's scenes of torture and murder are vivid and strongly convey the desperation of the slaves and the cruelty of their owners.

　　Charles Johnson's Middle Passage approaches slavery from a different，yet no less violent，vantage point. His main character，Rutherfprd Calhoun，is a ne'er-do-well free black American who stows away on a slave ship bound for Africa to collect its "cargo". Put to work after he is discovered，Calhoun witnesses firsthand the appalling conditions in which the captured Africans are transported. When they finally rebel and take over the ship，he finds himself in the middle -- and is forced to come to terms with who he is and what his values are.

　　Neither Beloved nor Middle Passage is an easy read，but both exemplify African American writers' attempts to bring significant historical situations alive for a modem audience.

　　词汇:

　　interpret   v. 解释，翻译

　　desperation   n. 绝望的境地

　　recount   v. 叙述

　　capture v. 俘获

　　slavery   n. 奴隶制度

　　注释:

　　1. Yet by writing about the past in a vivid and compelling manner，storytellers can bring earlier eras to life and force readers to consider them seriously. 然而通过用一种生动有趣的方式来描写过去，小说家可以将早期时代重现，并引起读者的重视。

　　2. His main character. Rutherford Calhoun. is a ne'er-do-well free black American who stows away on a slave ship bound for Africa to collect its "cargo" .他的主人公叫做 Rutherford Calhoun，是一个游手好闲，身份自由的美国黑人。他偷偷登上了一艘开往非洲贩卖奴隶的船只。

　　练习:

　　1. This passage is mostly about__________.

　　A) the causes of slavery in America

　　B) black writers in the late 20th century

　　C) why Morrison and Johnson wrote the books they did

　　D) two novels that deal with slavery

　　2. Beloved is set__________.

　　A) on a slave ship

　　B) on a plantation before the Civil War

　　C) in Ohio after the Civil War

　　D) in an African town

　　3. The writer seems to feel that__________.

　　A) eveyone should read Morrison's and Johnson's novels

　　B) the books are worthwhile but challenging

　　C) black writers should ignore racial issues

　　D) we will repeat the past if we don’t learn about it

　　4. The writer emphasizes that the two books are similar in their__________.

　　A) use of flashbacks

　　B) treatment of women

　　C) criticism of whites

　　D) portrayal of violence

　　5. The word appalling means__________.

　　A) terrible

　　B) surprising

　　C) guilty

　　D) unrealistic

　　答案与题解:

　　1. D 本题问的是:这篇文章主要讲什么? A的意思是美国奴隶制的原因。B的意思是20世纪的黑人作家。C的意思是莫里森和约翰逊写书的原因。D的意思是关于奴隶制的两本小说。本文主要介绍了莫里森和约翰逊各自关于奴隶制的小说的主要内容，因此D是正确的答案。

　　2. C 本题问的是:“宠儿”的设置背景是什么?根据第二段的第二句话:a fornier slave called Sethe，lives in Ohio in the years following the Civil War可知其背景是在内战之后的俄亥俄州。因此C是正确的答案。

　　3. B 本题问的是:作者的感觉是什么?A的意思是每个人都应该读莫里森和约翰逊的小说。B的意思是这些作品非常值得写但又很有挑战性。C的意思是黑人作家应当忽略种族问题。D的意思是如果我们没有学习过去，那么这些过去会重现。A，C，D原文没有体现，因此B是正确的答案。

　　4.D 本题问的是:作者强调两部作品的共同之处是什么?根据第三段的第一句话:yet no less violent可知两部作品都有对暴力的描写。因此D是正确的答案。

　　5. A 本题问的是:appalling的意思是什么?根据第三段对运送非洲人去美国的描述可知，此状况必然是不好的，糟糕的。A的意思是糟糕的。B的意思是令人惊讶的。C的意思是有罪的。D的意思是不现实的。因此根据文意，A是正确的答案。