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Файл:США. Этические проблемы. Учебное пособие на английском языке.pdf
8. He clutched at a pillar for support.
9. There are no bargains in the clothes stores at the moment.
10. It’s an attractive little home, and I think it’s a bargain.
11. That second-hand table was a real bargain.
12. Good knives don’t come at bargain prices.
13. Thousands of bargain hunters (= people looking for things to
buy at low prices) queued up for hours.
14. The university welcomes applications from overseas students.
15. We receive hundreds of job applications each year.
16. I filled in the application form and sent it off.
17. You have to submit your application before the end of the month.
18. I’ve put in an application for a transfer.
19. He received a letter saying that his application had been rejected.
20. It can take a long time for your visa application to be processed.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is a psychomyth? How can this genre be defined?
2. What are the famous writers that Ursula Le Guin alludes to
when speaking about her story? Why?
3. The author speaks about “the dilemma of the American
conscience.” What does she mean by that?
4. Why is the notion of “the lost soul” so important for the
understanding of the story?
5. How would you summarize the main idea if the story The Ones
Who Walk Away From Omelas? Do you agree with it?
TEXT 3
I OWE NOTHING TO MY BROTHERS
by Ayn Rand
Ayn Rand (1905—1982) was born and educated in Russia, where as a
young woman she experienced the Bolshevik Revolution and the extreme
restrictions of individual freedom that Soviet collectivization imposed. A
naturalized American citizen, she published a series of novels and essays
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urging the pursuit of freedom through a total individualism. The
Fountainhead (1943), probably her best known novel, portrays a version of
the great architect, Frank Lloyd Wright, as a model of the achievements
possible for a creative and uninhibited individual. Her credo is perhaps best
summarized in the oath sworn by the citizens of an imaginary community
described in Atlas Shrugged (1957): “I will never live for the sake of another
man, nor ask any other man to live for mine.”
The following excerpt is from Anthem, a novelette portraying the fate of a
courageous dissenter in a totalitarian state. The excerpt is a hymn of praise
sung by the hero to his god — himself.
I am. I think. I will.
My hands…My spirit… My sky…My forest… This earth of mine…
What must I say besides? These are the words. This is the answer.
I stand here on the summit of the mountain. I lift my head and I
spread my arms. This, my body and spirit, this is the end of the quest.
I wished to know the meaning of things. I am the meaning. I wished to
find a warrant for being. I need no warrant for being, and no word of
sanction upon my being. I am the warrant and the sanction.
It is my eyes which see, and the sight of my eyes grants beauty to
the earth. It is my ears which hear, and the hearing of my ears gives its
song to the world. It is my mind which thinks, and the judgment of my
mind is the only searchlight that can find the truth. It is my will which
chooses, and the choice of my will is the only edict I must respect.
Many words have been granted me, and some are wise, and some
are false, but only three are holy: “I will it!”
Whatever road I take, the guiding star is within me; the guiding
star and the loadstone which point the way. They point in but one
direction. They point to me.
I know not if this earth on which I stand is the core of the universe
or if it is but a speck of dust lost in eternity. I know not and I care not.
For I know what happiness is possible to me on earth. And my
happiness has no higher aim to vindicate it. My happiness is not the
means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.
Neither am I the means to any end others may wish to accomplish.
I am not a tool for their use. I am not a servant of their needs. I am not
a bandage for their wounds. I am not a sacrifice on their altars.
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I am a man. This miracle of me is mine to own and keep, and mine
to guard, and mine to use, and mine to kneel before!
I do not surrender my treasures, nor do I share them. The fortune of
my spirit is not to be blown into coins of brass and flung to the winds
as alms for the poor of the spirit. I guard my treasures: my thought,
my will, freedom. And the greatest of these is freedom.
I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debts from them. I
ask none to live for me, nor do I live for any others. I covet no man’s
soul, nor is my soul theirs to covet.
I am neither foe nor friend to my brothers, but such as each of them
shall deserve of me. And to earn my love, my brothers must do more
than to have been born. I do not grant my love without reason, nor to
any chance passer-by who may wish to claim it. I honor men with my
love. But honor is a thing to be earned.
I shall choose friends among men, but neither slaves nor masters.
And I shall choose only such as please me, and them I shall love and
respect, but neither command nor obey. And we shall join our hands
when we wish, or walk alone when we so desire. For in the temple of
his spirit, each man is alone. Let each man keep his temple untouched
and undefiled. Then let him join hands with others if he wishes, but
only beyond his holy threshold.
For the word “We” must never be spoken, save by one’s choice and
as a second thought. This word must never be placed first within man’s
soul, else it becomes a monster, the root of all the evils on earth, the
root of man’s torture by men, and of an unspeakable lie.
The word “We” is as lime poured over men, which sets and
hardens to stone, and crushes all beneath it, and that which is white
and that which is black are lost equally in the grey of it. It is the word
by which the depraved steal the virtue of the good, by which the weak
steal the might of the strong, by which the fools steal the wisdom of
the sages.
What is my joy if all hands, even the unclean, can reach into it?
What is my wisdom, if even the fools can dictate to me? What is my
freedom, if all creatures, even the botched and the impotent, are my
masters? What is my life, if I am but to bow, to agree and to obey?
But I am done with this creed of corruption.
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I am done with the monster of “We,” the word of serfdom, of
plunder, of misery, falsehood and shame.
And now I see the face of god, and I raise this god over the earth,
this god whom men have sought since men came into being, this god
who will grant them joy and peace and pride.
This god is this one word:
“I.”
ACTIVE VOCABULARY
pursuit of freedom
pursuit (n) — the action of looking for or trying to achieve
something: in pursuit of work
uninhibited individual
inhibited (adj) — (of people or their behavior) unable to relax or
express feelings in a natural way. Antonym: uninhibited
hymn of praise
hymn (n) — a song of praise, esp. to God, usually one of the
religious songs of the Christian church which all the people sing
during a service. Don’t confuse with Rus. гимн — anthem.
summit (n) — 1. the highest point 2. a meeting between the heads of
two or more governments
warrant (n) for — 1. a written order signed by an official of the law,
esp. allowing the police to take certain action: You can’t search my
house without a warrant. 2. proper reason for action, justification
to grant (v) something to somebody — to give something legally or
formally to somebody: She was granted a divorce. They were
granted a license to mine in the area.
to take something for granted — 1. to accept a fact or a situation
without questioning its rightness: I took it for granted that she
would always be by my side. 2. to treat someone or something with
too little attention or concern: He so busy with his work that he
takes his family for granted.
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to vindicate (v) — 1. to clear somebody of blame/suspicion: The
report of the committee completely vindicates him. 2. to show or
prove the truth, justice, value: The success of the operation
completely vindicates my faith in the doctor.
serfdom (n) — the social and economic system under which land is
cultivated by serfs
to plunder (v) — to steal goods from a place, esp. during a time of
war or civil disorder
falsehood (n) — 1. a statement that is not true, a lie 2. the telling of
lies
ASSIGNMENTS
I. Find the words and phrases with the additional vocabulary
in the text and translate them into Russian.
II. Make up your own sentences or situations to show how the
additional vocabulary can be used in a context.
III. Translate into Russian paying attention to the additional
vocabulary.
1. People have to move to other areas in pursuit of work.
2. He accused her of being snobbish and emotionally inhibited.
3. I am far too inhibited to have rows with people.
4. There were two organs in the Great Chamber and hymns were
often sung.
5. This hymn is full of symbolism.
6. The two presidents agreed to hold a summit in the spring.
7. A U.S.-Russia summit is expected to take place in late March.
8. The magistrate issued a warrant for his arrest.
9. You don’t have to let the police in unless they have a search
warrant.
10. The authorities have refused to grant him a visa to visit the U.S.
11. He just took it for granted that he would pass the exam.
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12. The charges are false, and we are sure we will be vindicated in
court.
13. The decision to advertise has been vindicated by the fact that
sales have grown.
14. “I know that rumors have spread among you of my intention
to abolish serfdom.”
15. Many works of art were plundered by Nazi troops.
16. No one had accused me of falsehood before.
17. Most people believe in right and wrong, truth and falsehood.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. The doctrine proclaimed in this excerpt from Anthem is
deliberately antisocial. Do you think it is dangerous to society?
2. How does the essay reflect the author’s switch from collectivist
to individualistic mentality?
3. How would you describe the author’s tone?
4. What do you think the author would reply to anyone who claimed
that she cared only about the welfare of the selfish and powerful?
WRITING
“I owe nothing to my brothers, nor do I gather debt from them.”
Imagine a friend of yours who, after reading Rand’s essay has decided
that the celebration of “I” against “We” is sound guidance for life.
Write one of the following letters to your friend:
1. A letter arguing against the decision, concentrating on why this
statement seems doubtful.
2. A letter arguing in support of his/her views, concentrating on
why this statement seems sound to you.
3. A letter debating the pros and cons of the position, describing as
many reasons as possible for and against the opinion that we “owe”
something to our brothers (and sisters).
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TEXT 4
THE BRIDGE POEM
by Donna Kate Rushin
I’ve had enough
I’m sick of seeing and touching
Both sides of things
Sick of being the damn bridge for everybody
Nobody
Can talk to anybody
Without me
Right
I explain my mother to my father my father to my little sister
My little sister to my brother my brother to the white feminists
The white feminists to the Black church folks the Black church folks
To the ex-hippies the ex-hippies to the Black separatists the
Black separatists to the artists the artists to my friends’ parents...
Then
I’ve got to explain myself
To everybody
I do more translating
Than the Gawdamn U.N.
Forget it
I’m sick of it
I’m sick of filling in your gaps
Sick of being your insurance against
The isolation of your self-imposed limitations
Sick of being the crazy at your holiday dinners
Sick of being the odd one at your Sunday Brunches
Sick of being the sole Black friend to 34 individual white people
Find another connection to the rest of the world
Find something else to make you legitimate
Find some other way to be political and hip
I will not be the bridge to your womanhood
Your manhood
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Your human-ness
I’m sick of reminding you not to
Close off too tight for too long
I'm sick of mediating with your worst self
On behalf of your better selves
I am sick
Of having to remind you
To breathe
Before you suffocate
Your own fool self
Forget it
Stretch or drown
Evolve or die
The bridge I must be
Is the bridge to my own power
I must translate
My own fears
Mediate
My own weaknesses
I must be the bridge to nowhere
But my true self
And then
I will be useful
NOTES ON THE POEM
ex-Hippies — people who, in the 1960s, rejected the social values
of their parents, but now find themselves practicing the values that
they rejected
Black Separatists — the Black Moslems who, under the
leadership of Elijah Mohammed in the 1950s and ’60s advocated
separation from white American society
the crazy — the nonconformist; the unusual person
hip — absolutely up to date; in keeping with the current fad
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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. What is the author sick of? Explain in your own words.
2. Whom is the poet addressing?
3. How does the poet act as a bridge?
4. What is the meaning of the last stanza?
5. Comment on the following: “Feeling herself pulled in all
directions by conflicting social forces, the poet wonders whether the
most important relationship a person can have is with his or her own
soul.” Would you agree that this phrase summarizes the poem?
Why?/Why not?
ROUND-UP DISCUSSION
What do you think is closer to Russia and the U.S. —
individualism or community? Give examples from history, literature,
art, movies, etc.
MOVIE
High Noon.
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Unit 3
THE AMERICAN DREAM
PREREADING
1. From your point of view, what do Americans dream of?
2. Is it different from “the Russian Dream”? What do Russian
dream of?
3. After the discussion of American values and beliefs, how would
you account for the difference?
TEXT 1
MISS U.S.A. EMMA KNIGHT
by Studs Terkel
I wince when I’m called a former beauty queen or Miss U.S.A.
I keep thinking they’re talking about someone else. There are
certain images that come to mind when people talk about beauty
queens. It’s mostly what’s known as t and a, tits and ass. No talent.
For many girls who enter the contest, it’s part of the American Dream.
It was never mine.
You used to sit around the TV and watch Miss America and it was
exciting, we thought, glamorous. Fun, we thought. But by the time I
was eight or nine, I didn’t feel comfortable. Soon I’m hitting my
adolescence, like fourteen, but I’m not doing any dating and I’m
feeling awkward and ugly. I’m much taller than most of the people in
my class. I don’t feel I can compete the way I see girls competing for
guys. I was very much of a loner. I felt intimidated by the amount of
competition females were supposed to go through with each other. I
didn’t like being told by Seventeen magazine: Subvert your interests if
you have a crush on a guy, get interested in what he’s interested in. If
you play cards, be sure not to beat him. I was very bad at these social
games.
After I went to the University of Colorado for three and a half years,
I had it. This was 1968 through ‘71. I came home for the summer. An
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