Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt 安娜·埃莉诺·罗斯福 Chapter 7 Politics

In October 1910, Franklin began his first campaign. Eleanor wanted to be with him, but she had just given birth to Elliott. So she stayed home. She wrote Franklin every day. She encouraged him to speak out to people. And so Franklin bought a car and visited every village in upstate New York. And he won! He was the first Democrat¹ to win there since 1878.

Eleanor and Franklin and family moved to the state capital in Albany, New York. At last, in her own home, Eleanor took charge. Within twenty-four hours, she had everyone settled in the new house. She fired servants she did not like. She hired new ones. She organized the house. She met the neighbors. She held “open houses.” During an open house, people from the area that Franklin represented came and talked with Franklin. Eleanor loved her new life.

Every afternoon, she spent time with her children. She read to them. They had tea. And she played with them after dinner. Early mornings, she met with people in their homes. She helped Franklin in his new career in any way that she could.

In 1913, Franklin became assistant secretary of the navy. This was an important post. The family moved to Washington, D.C. Again, Eleanor did all she could to help Franklin in his new job. She called on other wives in Washington. She listened to Franklin’s speeches and gave advice on them. What’s more, he listened. Franklin valued Eleanor’s opinions. They made a good team. People reminded Franklin that Eleanor’s Uncle Teddy had once held his new job, and Teddy had gone on to be president. Maybe one day Franklin would, too.

During their time in Washington, Eleanor learned to be the perfect political wife. She gave parties for over two hundred people. She spoke³ many different languages. People said that with her tall, thin figure and her thick hair piled up on her head, she looked like the perfect “Gibson Girl.” Even Sara admitted that Eleanor had never looked or sounded better.

In the 1890s and early 1900s, people wanted to dress and look like the illustrations that they saw in popular magazines. One famous illustration was the “Gibson Girl.” Charles Dana Gibson created the Gibson Girl. She was described as taller than most women, full of spirit and independence. She wore her brown hair piled high on her head. She looked like a well-bred young woman. Eleanor and her friends tried to dress and look like Gibson Girls. But, for Eleanor, fashion never was as important as for some. What interested her most were the issues of the day.

The United States entered World War I in 1917. Suddenly, soldiers were everywhere in Washington, D.C. Eleanor worked hard for the Red Cross. She visited soldiers. She served coffee and food. This work made Eleanor feel useful and wanted. The people she worked with loved her and admired her skills. The soldiers said how kind and thoughtful she was.

Eleanor was so busy that she hired a young, pretty secretary named Lucy Mercer. But soon Lucy was spending more time with Franklin than with Eleanor or the children. Lucy and Franklin fell in love. And Eleanor found out. She was shattered⁴. She had trusted Franklin completely. And he had betrayed⁵ her. Franklin promised never to see Lucy again and Eleanor agreed to stay with him. Franklin knew that he needed Eleanor’s help with his career. But their marriage would never be the same.

In 1920, James M. Cox ran for president and Franklin ran as his vice² president. The Democrats⁶ lost. So Franklin, Eleanor, and the children went to their summer home in Campobello, Maine. One night, Franklin became very tired. Eleanor told him to go to bed. But the next day, he could not move his legs! He had polio at age thirty-nine!

Polio had been around since the time of the ancient Egyptians. When Franklin was a young man, there was still no cure. Polio was a disease that people, especially children, caught easily. Often, the disease left its victims unable to walk. They had to use a wheelchair or crutches⁷ for the rest of their lives. It was not until the 1950s that a vaccine⁸ against polio was discovered.

After Franklin fell ill with polio, his mother wanted him to return to Hyde Park and live in the country. There he could rest.

He must give up politics, said Sara. Instead, he could spend his time collecting stamps, which was a lifelong hobby of his, and being cared for. Eleanor, for the first time, said no to her mother-in-law. She did not want Franklin to become an invalid⁹. He had important work to do. She wanted him to stay in politics.

So Franklin began a painful program of exercise to rebuild his strength. He would never walk again without heavy braces¹⁰. Even then, he could walk only a few steps. Still, Eleanor kept him going. She also made sure that the voters did not forget about her husband. Eleanor began giving speeches to different ladies’ groups about Franklin. At first, she spoke quietly. Eleanor was still shy. But by 1928, Eleanor Roosevelt had become a wonderful speaker and a respected member of the Democratic Party. Because of Eleanor, political leaders remembered Franklin.

By the 1920s, the Roosevelts’ daughter, Anna, had married. The boys were away at college or boarding school. While Franklin worked to regain¹¹ his ability to walk, Eleanor started to teach. She and her friends took over a private girls school in New York City. Eleanor loved it. It reminded her of her days at Allenswood. She also continued working for the Democratic Party. Franklin had decided¹² to run for governor of New York, and he needed Eleanor’s help to win. He counted on Eleanor to convince women to vote for him. And she did. Franklin won the race for governor in 1928. Many felt that it was the women’s vote and Eleanor’s efforts that won him the job.

Being the first lady of New York was a challenge. Eleanor wanted to keep teaching in New York City. But the state capital, where the governor lives, was in Albany. So each Monday she left the governor’s mansion¹³ and took a three-hour train ride. On the train, she graded papers, read magazines, and answered letters. Then she returned to Albany on Wednesday and hosted parties, met with party leaders, and gave speeches. People got tired just hearing Eleanor’s schedule, but Eleanor loved it. She liked being busy and useful.

As first lady of New York, she also had opportunities to test her courage. She went to the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid¹⁴, New York and rode on a bobsled! Then she went for an airplane ride.

It was difficult for Franklin to get around, so Eleanor became his eyes and ears. She toured prisons, hospitals, and homes for orphans¹⁵ and the mentally ill. She told Franklin about what she saw. Franklin then wrote laws to help the less fortunate.

In 1932, Franklin Roosevelt ran for president of the United States. He won! On March 4, 1933, Eleanor Roosevelt became first lady of the United States. She was forty-eight years old. She was scared. What kind of first lady would she be?
 

1 democrat   

n.民主主义者，民主人士；民主党党员

参考例句：

• The Democrat and the Public criticized each other.民主党人和共和党人互相攻击。
• About two years later,he was defeated by Democrat Jimmy Carter.大约两年后，他被民主党人杰米卡特击败。

2 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

3 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

4 shattered   

破碎的； 极度疲劳的

参考例句：

• He dropped the vase and it shattered into pieces on the floor. 他失手把花瓶掉到地板上摔碎了。
• The experience left her feeling absolutely shattered. 她在这次经历之后，感到彻底垮了。

5 betrayed   

对…不忠( betray的过去式和过去分词 )； 背叛； 出卖； 泄露

参考例句：

• The shakes of the speaker's hands betrayed his nervousness. 发言者双手颤抖，可见他很紧张。
• He betrayed all his friends on his own account. 他为自己的利益出卖了所有的朋友。

6 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 crutches   

n.拐杖, 支柱 v.支撑

参考例句：

• After the accident I spent six months on crutches . 事故后我用了六个月的腋杖。
• When he broke his leg he had to walk on crutches. 他腿摔断了以后，不得不靠拐杖走路。

8 vaccine   

n.牛痘苗，疫苗；adj.牛痘的，疫苗的

参考例句：

• The polio vaccine has saved millions of lives.脊髓灰质炎疫苗挽救了数以百万计的生命。
• She takes a vaccine against influenza every fall.她每年秋季接种流感疫苗。

9 invalid   

n.病人，伤残人；adj.有病的，伤残的；无效的

参考例句：

• He will visit an invalid.他将要去看望一个病人。
• A passport that is out of date is invalid.护照过期是无效的。

10 braces   

n.吊带，背带；托架( brace的名词复数 )；箍子；括弧；（儿童）牙箍v.支住( brace的第三人称单数 )；撑牢；使自己站稳；振作起来

参考例句：

• The table is shaky because the braces are loose. 这张桌子摇摇晃晃，因为支架全松了。
• You don't need braces if you're wearing a belt! 要系腰带，就用不着吊带了。

11 regain   

vt.重新获得，收复，恢复

参考例句：

• He is making a bid to regain his World No.1 ranking.他正为重登世界排名第一位而努力。
• The government is desperate to regain credibility with the public.政府急于重新获取公众的信任。

12 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

13 mansion   

n.大厦，大楼；宅第

参考例句：

• The old mansion was built in 1850.这座古宅建于1850年。
• The mansion has extensive grounds.这大厦四周的庭园广阔。

14 placid   

adj.安静的，平和的

参考例句：

• He had been leading a placid life for the past eight years.八年来他一直过着平静的生活。
• You should be in a placid mood and have a heart-to- heart talk with her.你应该心平气和的好好和她谈谈心。

15 orphans   

孤儿( orphan的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The poor orphans were kept on short commons. 贫苦的孤儿们吃不饱饭。
• Their uncle was declared guardian to the orphans. 这些孤儿的叔父成为他们的监护人。