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*第二十篇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, 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”. 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.
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) everyone 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】
1. D 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. A
【译文】
第二十篇讲述可怕的过去
分析和诠释历史并不是小说家的工作。然而通过用一种生动有趣的方式来描写过去，小说家可以重现早期时代，并引起读者的重视。在叙述历史的作家中，有一些黑人作家试图从不同的角度审视奴隶制。
诺贝尔奖获得者托妮·莫里森在她的作品《宠儿》中专门阐述了奴隶制问题。小说的主人公叫塞丝，她以前是个奴隶，内战之后住在俄亥俄，但是她无法让自己从可怕的记忆中解脱出来。通过一系列的倒序和痛苦的回忆，读者了解到赛丝为什么以及怎样逃出她赖以生存的种植园，她那同样试图逃出来的丈夫的命运，以及最后发生在叫做宠儿的孩子身上的事情。莫里森对奴隶受折磨和遭谋杀的场景描写得很生动，充分地表达出奴隶们的绝望以及奴隶主的残酷。
查尔斯·约翰逊的小说《中途》从另一个不同的角度来描写奴隶制，但同样充满着暴力。他的主人公叫做卢瑟福·卡尔霍恩，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。被发现后，他开始为之工作，并亲眼目睹了非洲人被抓起来，然后被运送到美国这种可怕的状况。当非洲人最终抵抗并占有了船只后，他发现了自己的中间性--并且被迫与他自己的身份和价值观念妥协。
不论是《宠儿》还是《中途》读起来都不轻松，但是它们都是非裔美国作家努力为现代观众重现重要历史的典范之作。
