A Century of Memories(1930-1939)

A Century of Memories(1930-1939)

 

Three years into the depression, the American system was in grave danger. Unless it could change, and change quickly, it might not survive.

The optimism of the “¹⁾Roaring Twenties” faded. An era of fear took hold; a fear so powerful, it forced Americans to redefine the relationship with their government, and with each other. New Yorker, Clara Hancocks --

Hancocks: I was eleven years old, but how well I remember it! It was like the skies had grown dark. Thunder, and all of a sudden, faces were tragic¹ and people were walking around in the hallways of our building and the streets with inquiring eyes and saying, “Has it happened to you? Has it happened to us? What is happening?” And it was wordless; it was speechless. You couldn’t explain the thing that hung over people. And pretty soon, you began to know what was happening. People... the people, who had given my father the contract to make the floors had lost all their money. That building was never built. My father had all this material that was not paid for, that he had borrowed money. He was, ²⁾wiped out! He never, psychologically he never recovered.

1932 was also a year of decision for Americans.

Hoover: We have yet to go a long way to capture many positions to restore agriculture...

Republican President, ³⁾Herbert Hoover, campaigned for re-election, only to find that everywhere he went, his name had become ⁴⁾synonymous with failure. ⁵⁾Shanty²-towns of unemployed³ men were now called “⁶⁾Hoovervilles”. Newspapers were, “Hoover blankets” Empty pockets, “Hoover Flags”. 

Voice 1: Hoover was seen as the symbol of the indifference⁴ of the national government to those who were down and out. And in that 1932 campaign, one man ⁷⁾wired him, “Vote for ⁸⁾Roosevelt and make it ⁹⁾unanimous”. 

Voice 2: California, casts 44 votes for Franklin D. Roosevelt.

New York Governor, Franklin Roosevelt, was the Democratic Party candidate, the ¹⁰⁾aristocratic distant cousin of ¹¹⁾the century’s first president. He had been struck by ¹²⁾polio in 1921. He was known more for his charm than his accomplishments⁵. Most people were not sure what he meant when he promised a “new deal” to the American people. Neither was he. But Roosevelt appeared optimistic, confident, and he wasn’t Herbert Hoover. Roosevelt won in the greatest electoral ¹³⁾landslide⁶ America had ever seen. And he faced, perhaps, the greatest challenge ever presented to an American leader. 

Roosevelt: I, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, do solemnly swear...

On Inauguration⁷ Day, nearly 100,000 people braved a cold March morning to hear what the new president would do. 

Roosevelt: This great nation will endure as it has endured ...

Melvin Belli --

Belli: That magnificent ¹⁴⁾resonance⁸ coming out.

Roosevelt: The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.

Belli:  We have nothing to fear but fear itself and everybody’d look at each other, they’d nod their head ...

Roosevelt: ...let us unite...

Belli: ...and when he’d say “My friends”, everybody could feel he was talking to him. That was one of his friends. That was one of his people. That was one of the most majestic⁹ moments, I think, in public speaking, or in ¹⁵⁾forensic¹⁰ capacity, that I’ve heard in my lifetime. I’ve heard great lawyers -- and I’ve made some pretty good talks myself -- but nothing comparable to that setting, under the bridge, the ¹⁶⁾freight train roaring overhead going over the bridge, and hear this voice speaking out to my friends and fear itself. 

Campaigning for a second term in 1936, Roosevelt told a cheering crowd “You look happier today than you did four years ago”, and they were. 

 

光阴的故事 (1930-1939)

在大萧条时期的三年中，美国社会危机重重。如果再不进行变革——迅速的变革，社会就会彻底崩溃。

“繁荣的二十年代”所带来的乐观情绪消沉下去了。当时取而代之的是恐惧；恐惧感实在太强烈了，使美国人必须重新考虑清楚自己与政府及与其他人的关系。纽约人克拉拉·汉考克斯——

汉考克斯：我那时十一岁，但我却记得很清楚！就好像天空变得阴暗起来，突然之间雷声大作，人们愁容满面，走在大楼走廊上和街道上，带着询问的目光问：“你也碰上这事了吗？我们真碰上这事了吗？这到底是怎么回事？”然而回答却是沉默无言。你说不清楚是什么样的阴云笼罩在人们的头上。很快，一切变得明晰起来。人们……和我父亲签定合同铺地板的人损失了所有的钱。那幢楼完工不了。我父亲的所有原料都还没有收钱，而他自己还借了钱。他一下子跨下来了！他再也没能，他的精神再也没有恢复正常。

对于美国人来说，1932年也是做出重要抉择的一年。

胡佛∶我们还有很长一段路要走，多手齐抓，恢复农业……

共和党人赫伯特·胡佛总统想竞选连任，结果发现不论走到哪里，他的名字都是失败的代名词。失业的人居住的简陋小屋被称作“胡佛屋”。报纸叫做“胡佛毯”，空空如也的衣袋是“胡佛旗”。

声音1：胡佛被看作是国家政府对民不聊生漠不关心的象征。在1932年的竞选活动中，一个男人拍电报对他说：“人人都要投票选罗斯福。”

声音2:加利福尼亚州统计结果，富兰克林·D·罗斯福获得选举人票四十四票。

纽约州州长富兰克林·罗斯福是民主党的候选人，也是二十世纪第一位总统的贵族远亲。他在1921年患过小儿麻痹症。他的个人魅力远远胜过他的政绩。当他向美国人民承诺要施行“新政”时，许多人都不清楚他到底想做什么。他自己也不知道。但罗斯福显得乐观，充满信心，而且他不是赫伯特·胡佛。罗斯福以空前的压倒性优势赢得了那场大选。并且，他面临的也许是美国总统所遇到过的最大的挑战。

罗斯福：我，富兰克林·罗斯福，庄严宣誓……

在总统就职典礼上，大约有十万人冒着三月清晨料峭的春寒来聆听新总统的新计划。

罗斯福：这个伟大的国家将一如既往地承受它曾经承受过的……

莫尔文·柏莱——

柏莱∶演说获得了巨大的共鸣。

罗斯福∶我们唯一值得害怕的就是害怕本身。

柏莱∶我们没有任何事情值得害怕，除了害怕本身。每个人都你看我我看你，点着头……

罗斯福∶让我们团结起来……

柏莱∶……当他说“我的朋友们”，每个人都觉得他就在和自己说话，自己就是他的一个朋友，是他的一个子民。我想，这是我有生之年听到的公众演讲中最庄严的时刻之一。我曾听过出色律师的辩论，我自己也曾做过一些非常不错的演讲，但没有一次能和这一刻相提并论——在桥底下，货运火车呼啸着穿过桥——他的声音传到朋友们的耳朵里，直击心灵最深处的恐惧。

在1936年竞选连任的时候，罗斯福对欢呼的民众说：“你们看起来比四年前的今天要高兴多了”，事实的确如此。

 

注释:

1) Roaring Twenties:  指一战后美国兴旺的二十世纪二十年代。

2) wipe out: （非正式）喝醉  作此义解时只用于be wiped out这一结构

3) Herbert Hoover: 赫伯特·胡佛(1874-1964)，美国第31任总统(1929-1933)。

4) synonymous [si5nCnimEs] a. 同义的

5) shanty [5FAnti] n. 简陋小屋

6) Hooverville:  指在大萧条时期无处可去的穷人在桥下用废料建的贫民窟。

7) wire [5waiE] v. 拍电报

8) Roosevelt: Franklin Delano Roosevelt, 富兰克林·德拉诺·罗斯福（1882-1945），美国第32届总统（1933-1945）。

9) unanimous [ju(:)5nAnimEs] a. 意见一致的

10) aristocratic [7Aris5tCkrEtik] a. 贵族的

11) the century’s first president: 这里指Theodore Roosevelt，西奥多·罗斯福（1858-1919），美国第26届总统（1901-1909）。

12) polio [5pEuliEu] n. 同polio-myelitis，小儿麻痹症

13) landslide [5lAndslaid] n. 山崩

14) resonance [5rezEnEns] n. 共鸣，回声

15) forensic [fE5rensik] a. 公开辩论的，法院的

16) freight [freit] n. 货物，货运

1 tragic   

adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的

参考例句：

• The effect of the pollution on the beaches is absolutely tragic.污染海滩后果可悲。
• Charles was a man doomed to tragic issues.查理是个注定不得善终的人。

2 shanty   

n.小屋，棚屋；船工号子

参考例句：

• His childhood was spent in a shanty.他的童年是在一个简陋小屋里度过的。
• I want to quit this shanty.我想离开这烂房子。

3 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。

4 indifference   

n.不感兴趣，不关心，冷淡，不在乎

参考例句：

• I was disappointed by his indifference more than somewhat.他的漠不关心使我很失望。
• He feigned indifference to criticism of his work.他假装毫不在意别人批评他的作品。

5 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 landslide   

n.(竞选中)压倒多数的选票；一面倒的胜利

参考例句：

• Our candidate is predicated to win by a landslide.我们的候选人被预言将以绝对优势取胜。
• An electoral landslide put the Labour Party into power in 1945.1945年工党以压倒多数的胜利当选执政。

7 inauguration   

n.开幕、就职典礼

参考例句：

• The inauguration of a President of the United States takes place on January 20.美国总统的就职典礼于一月二十日举行。
• Three celebrated tenors sang at the president's inauguration.3位著名的男高音歌手在总统就职仪式上演唱。

8 resonance   

n.洪亮；共鸣；共振

参考例句：

• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments.一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。
• The areas under the two resonance envelopes are unequal.两个共振峰下面的面积是不相等的。

9 majestic   

adj.雄伟的，壮丽的，庄严的，威严的，崇高的

参考例句：

• In the distance rose the majestic Alps.远处耸立着雄伟的阿尔卑斯山。
• He looks majestic in uniform.他穿上军装显得很威风。

10 forensic   

adj.法庭的，雄辩的

参考例句：

• The report included his interpretation of the forensic evidence.该报告包括他对法庭证据的诠释。
• The judge concluded the proceeding on 10:30 Am after one hour of forensic debate.经过近一个小时的法庭辩论后，法官于10时30分宣布休庭。