Advanced English
Book 2
Unit 12
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The Discovery of What It Means to Be
an American
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by James Baldwin
Lecturer: Meng Fanyan
Teaching Aims
1) Improving students’ ability to read
between lines and understand the text
properly;
 2) Cultivating students’ ability to make a
creative reading;
 3) Enhancing students’ ability to
appreciate the text from different
perspectives
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4) Helping students to understand some
difficult words and expressions;
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5) Helping students to understanding
rhetorical devices;
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6)Encouraging students to voice their own
viewpoint fluently and accurately.
Teaching Points
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I. Background knowledge
II. Introduction to the passage
III. Text Analysis
IV. Rhetorical devices
V. Questions
Time allocation
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1) Background knowledge (15 min.)
2) Detailed study of the text (180 min.)
3) Structure analysis (15 min.)
4) Language appreciation (15 min.)
5) Free talk (30 min)
I. Background Knowledge
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1. About the author(1924--1987)
James Baldwin, and his major works
--a leading Negro novelist and essayist in the
50’s
--a major spokesman for his race in the civil
rights movement of the 60’s
I. Background Knowledge
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an American negro writer, born in Harlem, lived
much of his life in New York City. For ten years he
lived in Europe as member of a colony of American
expatriates. He is hailed as one of the great novelists
and essayists of America. Some of his important
works are: Go Tell It on the Mountain ; Notes of a
Native Son ; Nobody Knows My Name; The Fire
Next Time; No name in the Street; and If Beale
Street Could Talk.
James Arthur Baldwin was born in Harlem, New York
City, Aug. 2, 1924 and died on Nov. 30, 1987. .
Background Knowledge
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The eldest of nine children, his stepfather
was a minister.
At age 14 , Baldwin became a preacher at
the small Fireside Pentecostal Church in
Harlem.
After he graduated from high school, he
moved to Greenwich Village.
Background Knowledge
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In the early 1940s, he transferred his faith
from religion to literature.
Background Knowledge
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Go Tell It on the Mountain (1953)
Notes of a Native Son (1955)
Another Country (1962)
Going to Meet the Man (1965)
Nobody Knows My Name (1961)
Tell Me How Long the Train's Been Gone
(1968)
Background Knowledge
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From 1948, Baldwin made his home primarily
in the south of France, but often returned to
the USA to lecture or teach.
In 1957, he began spending half of each year
in New York City.
Background Knowledge
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In 1983 Baldwin became Five College
Professor in the Afro-American Studies
department of the University of
Massachusetts at Amherst.
He spent his latter years in St. Paul de
Vence on the Riviera, France, where he died
of stomach cancer on November 30, 1987.
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2. Anna Karenina
a novel by the Russian author Leo Tolstoy. It
is considered to be one of the masterpieces
of world literature. It was first published from
1875 to 1877 as a serial in the Russki
Vestnik (Russian Messenger). The first
complete English translation appeared in
1899.

Anna Karenina contains two main narrative
lines. The major story deals with the unhappy
marriage of Anna and Aleksei Karenin and
with Anna's tragic affair with Count Vronsky.
The unhappy domestic life of Anna's brother,
Prince Stepan Oblonsky, serves to echo
Anna's predicament. In contrast, Tolstoy
presents the second plot, dealing with the
relationship between Kitty Shchesbatskaya
and Konstantin Levin, who marry and pursue
lives of homely "family happiness".
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In his examination of these two different
stories, Tolstoy creates a muhitude of
episodes of high life in Moscow and St. Peter
burg and of country life in the district of
Korazinsky. Tolstoy also contrasts the
shallowness of Karenin, a public official who
moves in a corrupt society, and the serious
dedication of the idealistic landowner Levin.

Tolstoy undoubtedly depicted his own nature in the
personality of Levin, using this character to voice his
observations on philosophy, agronomy, and religion.
There is no doubt that Tolstoy drew many of the
details of the novel from his own experiences, and
the characterizations from his keen study of his
relatives and friends. Thus he painted from real life
the gambling scenes, the horse racing, the death of
Levin' s disreputable brother, the hunting episodes,
and the quaint naivete of the peasantry.
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Although the novel is distinguished for its fine
evocation of the old order in Russia, its greatest
strength lies in its brilliant characterizations. In his
heroine Anna -- a woman of sensitivity and honesty,
who also possesses fears and weaknesses -- Tolstoy
has drawn one of the most unforgettable characters in
all the fiction. All of the major characters, as well as
many of lesser importance, are delineated with equal
precision. Despite some careless- ness in style and
occasional incongruities, Anna Karenina is a
masterwork of both social history and fiction.
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3. Tolstoy. Count Leo Tolstoy (Russian name
Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, 1828--1910)
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a Russian novelist and philosopher, and is
considered one of the world's greatest writers. Of a
noble family, he was born in Yasnaya Polyana, his
parents restate near Tula. Orphaned at nine, he was
brought up by his aunts and privately tutored. At 16
he was sent to the University of Kazan, at which he
studied languages and law. His classes bored him
and he left without a degree. He returned to his
estate in 1849 and made several abortive attempts
to aid and educate the serfs there. Tolstoy then
began a profligate life in Moscow and St. Peterburg.
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In 1851 he followed his brother into army service in
the Caucasus, where he wrote Childhood (1852).
This became the first part of an autobiographical
trilogy, which includes Boyhood (1854) and Youth
(1857). In 1854 he took part in the defense of
Sevastopol, descriptions of which were published in
Nekrasov' s journal, the Contemporary, attracting
considerable attention for their unvarnished picture
of war. He left army service in 1855 and for several
years divided his time between his estate and the
literary circles of St. Peterburg.
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His diary of the period reveals his intense
dissatisfaction with his libertine existence. He set up
a school for peasant children on his estate,
emphasizing a spontaneous approach to learning.
When his school proved 'impractical, he visited
Western Europe and there began to question the
bases of modern civilization. In 1862. Tolstoy married
Sophia Ardreyevna Bers, a young, well-educated girl
who bore him 13 children. His candor concerning his
infidelities and his harsh conception of her wifely
duties contributed to the instability of their marriage.
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During the time he wrote The Cossacks (1863) and
his masterpieces War and Peace(1862 1869) and
Anna Kareni~za (1873- 1876). War and Peace is a
vast prose epic of the Napoleonic invasion of 1812. It
illustrates Tolstoy' s view of history as proceeding
inexorably to its own ends. a view in which mankind
appears as an accidental instrument. This thesis is
conveyed by a stream of brilliantly conceived
character sand incidents. Anna Karenina, his most
popular work, concerns the tragedy of a woman's
faith in romantic love.
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About 1876 the doubts that had beset Tolstoy since
youth, fed by his Puritan temperament in conflict with
his sensuality gathered force. The result of his
painful self-examination was his conversion to the
doctrine of Christian love and acceptance of the
principle of nonresistance to evil. The steps in his
conversion are set forth in his Confession (1897).
For the rest of his life Tolstoy dedicated himself to
the practice and propagation of his new faith, which
he expounded in a series of works, among them A
Short Exposition of the Gospels (1881), What I
Believe in (1882), What Then Must We Do? (1886),
and The Law of Love and the Law of Violence (1908).
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Tolstoy' s insistence on putting his beliefs into
practice and abandoning all earthly goods led to a
permanent breach between himself and his wife. His
children, with the exception of the youngest daughter,
Alexandra, sided with their mother. In 1910, at 83,
Tolstoy left home with Alexandra without a specific
destination. He caught a chill and died at the railroad
stationmaster' s house at Astapovo.
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4. James: Henry James (1843--1916), American
novelist and critic. A master of psychological novel,
James was an innovator in technique and one of the
most distinctive prose stylists in English. He was one
of the writers who laid the foundations of modern
"stream of consciousness" fiction. Some of his
famous works are: The Bostonians ; The Spoils of
Poynton ; The Wings of the Dove ; The
Ambassadors ; The Golden Bowl, etc.
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5. Texas G. I. : a Texan enlisted soldier of the U. S.
armed forces; a symbol of U. S. patriotism
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6. Smith: Bessie Smith (1898?--1937), American
negro singer. The power and somber beauty of her
voice, coupled with songs representing every varlet
of the blues, earned her the title "Empress of the
Blues. "
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7. pickaninny: a negro child
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8. Right Bank and the Left: the two banks of
the river Seine, which flow., through the city
of Paris. The Right Bank is the larger section
and the center of business activity and
amusements. The Left Bank, lined by the
famous open-air book stalls, is the
intellectual, governmental, and military
section.
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9. regular guy: an ordinary person; a person
same as any other person; a person in the
same social and economic class and with the
same general intellectual level and interests
as the speaker
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10. les misfrébles: Les Misfrébles, title of a great
novel of social consciousness, published in 1862 by
the great French novelist, Victor Hugo. In this novel
political systems, prison reform, prostitution, and the
judicial system are all carefully scrutinized. The title
can be translated as the pitiful, wretched, or
miserable people.
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11.Camus: Albert Camus (1913--1960), French writer.
Camus was one of the most important authors and
thinkers of the 20th century. He became active in
social reform and was briefly a member of the
French Communist Party. In World War II he joined
the French resistance and was principal editor of the
underground paper Combat. Comus was awarded
the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature. Some of his
famous works are: Le Mythe de Sisphe; Caligula ;L
'Homme Révolté; La Chute ; etc.
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12.Little Rock: city, state capital of Arkansas.
The city became a center of world attention
in 1957, when Federal troops were sent
there to enforce a 1954 U. S. Supreme Court
ruling against segregation in the public
schools.
II. Introduction to the Passage
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1. Type of literature:
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--- a piece of expository writing
II. Introduction to the Passage
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2. The thesis expressed by the title of the
essay:
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--- The Discovery of What It Means to Be an
American
II. Introduction to the Passage
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3. A brief discussion about the title of this
essay:
--The Discovery of What It Means to Be an
American or
--The Discovery of What It Means to Be an
American Writer or
--The Discovery of What It Means to Be an
American Negro Writer
II. Introduction to the Passage
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4. Discoveries made in Europe:
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--- five points
II. Introduction to the Passage
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1. American is different from the European.
2. It is a complex fate to be an American.
3. All Americans, white or black, loved their country
and were not at home in Europe.
4. Americans knew more about each other than any
European ever could.
5. Europe was part of their identity and part of their
inheritance.
II. Introduction to the Passage
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5. A profound impact of Europe on Baldwin:
-- he was free of being a discriminated Negro.
-- he was forced to reassess and reconsider
many things he had always taken for granted.
-- the acceptance of his Negro origins
Words and expressions
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Fate: lot or fortune
n.天数, 命运, 运气
vt.注定, 送命
fated
adj.宿命的, 受命运支配的, 命中注定的
fateful
adj. 宿命的, 重大的, 决定性的, 致命性的, 预言性的
Fates
n.〈希神〉命运三女神
Words and expressions
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Beginning an essay with a quotation lends
authority and force to what one intends to say.
But be effective the quotation must be wellchosen as this one is.
Words and expressions
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Extremely controversial proper noun--People give very different definitions or
interpretations of the word “America”. They
fail to agree and quarrel over the different
definitions and interpretations.
Words and expressions
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Motley: having or composed of many
different or clashing elements
motley
adj.
杂色的, 五颜六色的, 穿染色衣的, 混杂的
n.
杂色, 杂色衣服, 混杂, 小丑
Words and expressions
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It was borne in on me ---I was made to
realize
Words and expressions
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pockets --- a small area or group of a
specified type
Words and expressions
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maverick
n.没打烙印的动物
vi.闹独立的人
Words and expressions
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At odds with her time and place --- whose
thoughts and actions were out of harmony
with her time and place in society.
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controversial (adj.) : stirring up controversy；
debatable引起争论的
motley (adj.) : of many colors or patches of color；
having or composed of many different or clashing
elements：heterogeneous杂色的；斑杂的；混杂的，
杂乱的
identity (n.) : the condition or fact of being a specific
person or thing；individuality个性；个人的特征
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prop (n.) : a rigid support，as a beam，stake，or
pole，placed under or against a structure or part支
柱；支持物；撑材
alabaster (n.) : a translucent，whitish，fine—
grained variety of gypsum，used for statues，vases，
etc．雪花石膏
cadence (n.) : inflection or modulation in tone；any
rhythmic flow of sound声音的抑扬顿挫；声调；节奏
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pickaninny (n.) : ．a negro child黑人小孩
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cripple (v.) : frustrate，hinder；make unable or unfit
to act，function effectively，etc．使损伤；使丧失活
动能力；使失去战斗力；削弱
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breakthrough (n.) : a strikingly important advance or
discovery in any field of knowledge or activity突破；
重大发现；惊人进展
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skirmish (n.) : a brief fight or encounter between
small groups，usually an incident of a battle：any
slight。unimportant conflict；brush小规模战斗；小
冲突
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rung (n.) : any of the crosspieces constituting the
steps of a ladder梯级
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lukewarm (n.) : (of liquids，etc．)barely or
moderately warm(液体等)微温的
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paradox (n.) : a statement that seems contradictory，
unbelievable．or absurd but that may actually be
true in fact反论
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paranoia (n.) : a mental disorder characterized by
systematized delusions，as of grandeur，or，esp. ，
persecution，often, except in a schizophrenic state，
with an otherwise relatively intact personality妄想狂；
偏执狂
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accessible (adj.) : easy to approach or enter易接近的；
易进去的
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pocket (n.) : a small area or group of a specified type
小块地区；凹地；小圈子
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pimp (n.) : one who is an agent for a prostitute or
prostitutes and lives off their earnings；procurer拉皮
条的人；为妓女拉客的人；妓院老板
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perpetual (adj.) : continuing indefinitely without
interruption：unceasing；constant不断的；重复不停
的
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preconception (n.) : bias or prejudice偏见
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terrace (n.) : an unroofed paved area，immediately
adjacent to a house，etc．露天平台；阳台
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corny (adj. [cloolq.]) : unsophisticated，old—fashioned，
trite，banal，sentimental，etc．过时的；陈腐的
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sojourn (n.) : a brief 0r temporary stay；visit旅居；短
期访问
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incorrigible (adj.) : not corrigible；that cannot be
corrected。improved，or reformed，esp. because
firmly established, as a habit不可救药的；难以纠正的；
根深蒂固的
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efface (v.) : rub out，as from a surface；erase；wipe out；
obliterate(从表面)擦掉，擦去，抹去；消除(痕迹)
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fathom (v.) : measure the depth of；get to the bottom of；
understand thoroughly测深；追根究底；弄清…的真相
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unprecedented (adj.) : having no precedent or parallel；
unheard—of；novel前所未有的；无前例的；新奇的
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compulsive (adj.) : of，having to do with，or
resulting from compulsion强迫的；有强迫力的
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taboo (n.) : any social prohibition or restriction that
results from convention or tradition(社会习俗或传统
习惯方面的)禁忌；避讳
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sustenance (n.) : that which sustains life；
nourishment；food食物；营养物
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inexorable (adj.) : that cannot be moved or
influenced by persuasion or entreaty；unrelenting不
退让的，不屈不挠的；不为所动的
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sorely (adv.) : urgently；greatly；extremely迫切地；
极其；非常
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wed (v.) : unite or join closely密切结合
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arm (n.) : any combatant branch of the
military forces兵种；军种
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intangible (adj.) : that cannot be easily
defined，formulated，or grasped；vague难
以确定(或捉摸、掌握)的；模糊的；不明确的
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at bottom: fundamentally，actually 根本上，
实际上
例： At bottom I don’t trust him．实际上我并不
信任他。
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in night (from) : escaping from逃避，逃开
例： She has to face what she is always in
flight from now．她现在必须面对自己一直在
逃避的事情了。
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in relief : in sharp contrast浮雕一般，鲜明地，
显著地
例： The peaks stood out in bold relief
against the azure sky．在蓝天的映衬下，山
峰的轮廓极为明显。
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be borne in on／upon sb．: if a fact is borne
in 0n someone, they realize that it is tree(事
实等)为某人所认识的
例： It was borne in on us how close we
had been to disaster．我们已认识到灾难迫在
眉睫。
III. Text Analysis
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Organization of the text:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
IV. Rhetorical Devices
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1.
2.
3.
metaphor
simile
transferred epithet
Special Difficulties
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1. Some methods of developing ideas:
--a point by point analogy
--simultaneous comparison
--alternating comparison
Special Difficulties
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2. Distinguishing synonyms:
--complex/complicated
--delusion/illusion
--intellectual/intelligent/clever
--probable/likely/possible
Special Difficulties
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3. Paraphrasing some sentences
Special Difficulties
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4. Identifying figures of speech
V. Questions
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1. How did Baldwin discover “what it means
to be an American?”
2. Why did the writer leave America for
Europe?
3. Why did the writer go to Switzerland?
How did Bessie Smith help him?
V. Questions
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4. Is the title well chosen? Could you suggest a
more fitting title?
5. Comment on the first sentence of the essay. Is it
an effective way of beginning this essay? Give your
reasons.
6. What is the paradox in paragraph 13? How does
the writer explain this paradox?