首页
登录
职称英语
Considering how jazz is transcribed in Chinese (jueshi) , you may be misled
Considering how jazz is transcribed in Chinese (jueshi) , you may be misled
游客
2024-12-29
21
管理
问题
Considering how jazz is transcribed in Chinese (jueshi) , you may be misled into assuming that it is an aristocratic cultural form. Nothing could be further from the truth. It originated among black Americans at the end of the 19th century, at a time when they occupied the very bottom of the American social heap.
So how has something that was created by a once downtrodden and despised minority acquired a central place in today’s American culture? Mr. Darrell A. Jenks, director of the American Center for Educational Exchange, and also a drummer in the jazz band Window, analyses the phenomenon for us here.
Perhaps the essence of America is that you could never get two Americans to agree on just what that might be. After thinking about it for a while, we might chuckle and say, "Hmm, seems like being American is a bit more complicated than we thought. " Certainly things like individualism, success (the "American Dream"), innovation and tolerance stand out. But these things come together because of our ability to work with one another and find common purpose no matter how diverse we might be.
Some, like African-American writer Ralph Ellison, believe that jazz captures the essence of America. For good reason, for in jazz all of the characteristics I mentioned above come together. The solos are a celebration of individual brilliance that can’t take place without the group efforts of the rhythm section. Beyond that, though, jazz has a connection to the essence of America in a much more fundamental way. It is an expression of the African roots of American culture, a musical medium that exemplifies the culture of the Africans whose culture came to dominate much of what is American.
That’s right, in many respects America’s roots are in Africa. Read Ralph Ellison’s perceptive description of the transformation of separate African and European cultures at the hands of the slaves:
"…the dancing of those slaves who, looking through the windows of a plantation manor house from the yard, imitated the steps so gravely performed by the masters within and then added to them their own special flair, burlesquing the white folks and then going on to force the steps into a choreography uniquely their own. The whites, looking out at the activity in the yard, thought that they were being flattered by imitation and were amused by the incongruity of tattered blacks dancing courtly steps, while missing completely the fact that before their eyes a European cultural form was becoming Americanized, undergoing a metamorphosis through the mocking activity of a people partially sprung from Africa. " (Ralph Ellison, Living with Music, pp 83-84).
Jazz brought together elements from Africa and Europe, fusing them into a new culture, an expression unique to the Americans.
Out of this fusion came an idea that we Americans believe central to our identity: tolerance. Both cultures represented in Ellison’s passage eventually came to realize each other’s value. Americans acknowledge that in diversity is our strength. We learn every day that other cultures and peoples may make valuable contributions to our way of life. Jazz music is the embodiment of this ideal, combining elements from African and European cultures into a distinctly American music.
Jazz reflects two contradictory facets of American life. On the one hand it is a team effort, where every musician is completely immersed in what the group does together, listening to each of the other players and building on their contributions to create a musical whole. On the other hand, the band features a soloist who is an individual at the extreme, a genius like Charlie Parker who explores musical territory where no one has ever gone before. In the same sense, American life is also a combination of teamwork and individualism, a combination of individual brilliance with the ability to work with others.
We hope that many Chinese friends can bring their own unique contributions to our music, adding their own culture to our American heritage. As Ralph Ellison said of the US, "We have the Bill of Rights, the Constitution, and we have jazz. " [br] Why do the black people imitate the dancing steps of their masters?
选项
A、To mock their masters.
B、To show their respect.
C、To learn new dance steps.
D、To fit into a new culture.
答案
A
解析
黑人奴隶为什么模仿他们主人的舞步? 本题主要考察对文中较生僻词“burlesque”的理解,burlesque意为“(嘲弄地)模仿;(通过模仿)取笑”,所以奴隶们模仿白人舞蹈不是出于尊敬或对其文化的向往,而是嘲弄他们笨重缓慢的舞步,故答案为A。
转载请注明原文地址:https://tihaiku.com/zcyy/3889938.html
相关试题推荐
[originaltext]ForeignpilotsaretobedraftedintoChineseairlinestorel
[originaltext]TheEuropeanUnionisconsideringtakingmeasuresagainstCanad
[originaltext]TheEuropeanUnionisconsideringtakingmeasuresagainstCanad
ConsideringhowjazzistranscribedinChinese(jueshi),youmaybemisledint
ConsideringhowjazzistranscribedinChinese(jueshi),youmaybemisledint
[originaltext]RussianPresidentVladimirPutinwelcomesChinesePresidentHu
Beforeconsideringthisquestionitisinterestingtoreviewbrieflytheevolu
Beforeconsideringthisquestionitisinterestingtoreviewbrieflytheevolu
Beforeconsideringthisquestionitisinterestingtoreviewbrieflytheevolu
Beforeconsideringthisquestionitisinterestingtoreviewbrieflytheevolu
随机试题
评述“讲授法就是注入式教学,发现法就是启发式教学”。
药物不良反应发生的前提是A.正常剂量、正常用法用药 B.意外过量用药 C.有
某境外旅客2019年8月来我国度假,8月10日在北京某退税商店购买了一套京剧脸谱
采用油压千斤顶加载进行荷载试验,出现压力加不上去的原因可能是:()A.油压
A.阴中求阳 B.补气生血 C.填精化血 D.壮水制火 E.滋水涵木当归
无粘结预应力施工中,主要工作包括()。A、预留孔道 B、预应力筋的铺设 C、
治风痰癫狂,常以白矾配A.郁金B.磁石C.朱砂D.远志E.皂荚
胶体金是氯金酸在什么物质的作用下聚合成特定大小的金颗粒,并由于静电作用成为一种稳
下列说法错误的是A.国家根据非处方药品的安全性,将非处方药分为甲类非处方药和乙类
甲公司和乙公司在2017年4月20日签订了买卖合同,约定5月10日甲公司向乙公司
最新回复
(
0
)