跟随 “伟大辩手” 学英文单词

                  

                         版权作者:杨政(广州新东方高阶词汇阅读主讲)

 

（1937年，媒体对威利学院辩论队战胜哈佛大学的报道，右起第一位为小詹姆斯·法默）

★中文片名：伟大辩手/伟大的辩论家/激辩风云/雄辩天下
★英文片名：The Great Debaters
★年　　代：2007
★上映日期：美国2007年12月25日(限制)
★国家地区：美国
★导　　演：丹泽尔·华盛顿 Denzel Washington
★主　　演：丹泽尔·华盛顿 Denzel Washington .....Mel Tolson
　　　　　　福里斯特·惠特克 Forest Whitaker
　　　　　　金伯利·艾利斯Kimberly Elise

                                 ★ Synopsis
Inspired by a true story, THE GREAT DEBATERS chronicles the journey of Professor Melvin Tolson (Denzel Washington), a brilliant but volatile debate team coach who uses the power of words to shape a group of underdog students from a small African American college in the deep south into a historically elite debate team. A controversial figure, Professor Tolson challenged the social mores of the time and was under constant fire for his unconventional and ferocious teaching methods as well as his radical political views. In their pursuit for excellence, Tolson's debate team receives a groundbreaking invitation to debate Harvard University's championship team.

 

                                  ★剧情简介

本片取材自真人真事。在上世纪30年代，有一个名叫马文·托尔森（丹泽尔·华盛顿饰演）的美国黑人在语言修辞上有着很深的造诣，尤其擅长写诗和辩论。他在一所德州的黑人高校（Wiley College）中担任教授，在学校中成立了黑人高校的第一支辩论队。在他的仔细选拔下，四位学生脱颖而出进入了辩论队——汉密尔顿·伯格斯、亨利·劳伊、女生莎曼萨和年仅14岁的小詹姆斯·法默尔。这些学生在此前对辩论毫无概念，而其实马文·托尔森也并不谙其中门路。他所能做的只有通过自己的言传身教去提高队员们的语言能力，让他们掌握唇枪舌剑的武器。在辩论队成长的道路上，马文·托尔森不断的挑战着社会当时的传统观念，反抗着现有的游戏规则。他反叛的精神和他激烈的教学方式也不断的被人们炮轰，但他始终坚持着自己信念，最终和辩论队员们一起进入了哈佛大学的辩论殿堂……

 

吐血推荐理由

1. 语言就是力量Language is power!!!

谁说核武器是最powerful的？语言的力量一样是无穷的，它可以被马丁路德金用来促进人类的进步，也可以被阿道夫希特勒用来毁灭人类的文明。而本片告诉人们，辩论就是是血淋淋的战争，只不过所用的武器是语言，换句话说是思想的战争。本片正是描述了黑人如何用语言去争取平等与自由，用语言去捍卫尊严与荣誉。在威利学院的两位辩手在击败了哈佛大学的两位辩手后，观众震天的掌声在一次告诉我们：“Language can a weapon even more powerful than people can imagine.” 喜欢英语和辩论的朋友，在本片中不仅会找到许多精辟的语言，还有严密的“亚里士多德”形式逻辑三段论。

 

2. 黑人也有魅力 The black has glamour too!!!

作为黑人影帝Denzel Washington给影片注入了地道的黑人风味。比如一开场就是纯正的布鲁斯和小酒店，黑人社区等等。这使整部影片更纯粹是从黑人角度来阐述种族问题，更真实,更有说服力。大批台词写得挺下功夫, 无论是人物平时说话或是辩论赛台词，都极尽说服技巧之能事。Denzel Washington自己主演的教练具有独特的魅力——即“辩论狂”的神采，每句发言，哪怕生活中的言谈都刻意求工，滴水不漏，气势凌人。同时影片中设计的辩题都是严肃且具体的，比如“非暴力不合作运动是道德的战争行为”，或是“现在应该允许黑人进入州立大学读书”。

经典台词赏析

经典之一：小詹姆斯·法默的父亲是Wiley College著名的神学教授,第一位黑人博士,在教堂里他在呐喊: 教育!啊教育!是让黑人摆脱蒙昧的唯一出路.对于整个人类,何尝不是如此呢?

We must impress of our young people.

That there will be difficulties that they faced.

They must defeat them.

They must do what they have to do...

...in order to do what they want to do.

Education is the only way out.

The way out of ignorance!

The way out of darkness into the glorious light!!!

我们必须打动我们的年轻一代

告诉他们，未来将面临着很多困难

他们必须克服困难

他们必须完成自己必须做的事

为了做了自己想做的是

教育是唯一的出路

摆脱无知的唯一出路

走出黑暗走向光明的唯一出路。

 

经典之二: 以下的对白，始终贯彻影片的始终，无论是在开始演讲训练时；还是小选手们在湖中进行气息练习时，还是即将登上最高的辩论讲台Harvard Uni.的时候，口中念念不忘，心中不断默念的一段沁人心脾的台词。让我们明白了，辩论的最高境界不是跟对手辩，而是捍卫自己心中的真理。年仅14岁的小詹姆斯·法默尔凭借最后一段真实感人的故事,而非激情洋溢的申辩，两个黑人辩手最终击败了不可一世的Harvard Uni.辩论队。真可谓“真理不辨自明”。

Melvin B. Tolson: Who is the judge?

The Debaters: The judge is God.

Melvin B. Tolson: Why is he God?

The Debaters:  Because he decides who wins or loses. Not my opponent.

Melvin B. Tolson: Who is your opponent?

The Debaters:  He does not exist.

Melvin B. Tolson: Why does he not exist?

The Debaters: Because he is a mere dissenting voice of the truth I speak!

参考翻译:

教练：谁是裁判？

队员们：上帝是裁判。

教练：为什么是上帝？

队员们：因为是他决定谁赢谁输，而不是我们的对手。

教练：你们的对手是谁？

队员们：他不存在。

教练：为什么不存在？

队员们：因为他只是我讲述的真理反对的声音！

 

一招鲜：影片中四位debaters在湖边给我演示了一个练习伶俐口齿和气息的好方法 —— 口中含着或叼着异物来进行发声朗读。

 

经典之三：老师在选拔队员时，引诱学生基于错误的前提作出了逻辑推理，然后找出“形式逻辑三段论”的缺陷，对其进行攻击。让学生明白，没有事实作为前提，严密的逻辑变成了空中楼阁，不攻自破。

-Welfare discourages(不鼓励) hard work. You'll argue the negative.

-All right.

-Welfare takes away a man's strongest reason for working, which is survival. And that weakens the will of the poor. How would you rebut that, Miss Booke with an "e"?

-I would say it does not. Most of the New Deal goes to children, anyway, and to the handicapped(残疾人), and to old people...

- Is that fact, or conjecture(推测，猜想)?

- It is a fact.

- Speak up.

- It is a fact.

- What's your source?

- The president.

- Of the United States?

- Yes, sir.

-That's your primary source(第一手资料)? You spoke to President Roosevelt personally?

-Of course not. I did not speak to him personally, but I listened to his Fireside Chat.

- Oh, a radio broadcast.

- Yes.

- Any other sources?

- Well...

-Any other sources?

-Yes, there are other sources.

-Like that look in a mother's eyes when she can't feed her kids. Without welfare, Mr. Tolson, people would be starving.

-Who's starving, Miss Booke?

- The unemployed are starving.

- Mr. Burgess here. He's unemployed. Obviously, he's not starving. I drew you in, Miss Booke. You gave a faulty premise(错误的前提), so your syllogism fell apart(瓦解，崩溃).

- "Syllogism"?

- Your logic fell apart. Major premise(大前提): The unemployed are starving. Minor premise(小前提): Mr. Burgess is unemployed. Conclusion(结论): Mr. Burgess is starving. Your major premise was based on a faulty assumption(有缺陷的猜想). Classic fallacy（经典谬误）.

难词解析

Fireside Chats：fireside炉边（代表家庭温暖）+ chat朋友间闲聊。罗斯福总统用这两个词是为了拉近与美国民众的心理距离，获取他们的支持。

下面是Wiki百科中的英文解释，朋友们可以从中了解其来源: The fireside chats were a series of thirty evening radio speeches given by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1944.  According to Roosevelt’s principal speechwriter Judge Samuel Rosenman, he first used "fireside chats" in 1929 during his first term as Governor of New York. Roosevelt faced a conservative Republican legislature so during each legislative session he would occasionally address the citizens of New York directly. He appealed to them for help getting his agenda passed. Letters would pour in following each of these "chats," which helped pressure legislators to pass measures Roosevelt had proposed. He began making the informal addresses as President on March 12, 1933, during the Great Depression.

 

conjecture v.n.(无确凿证据和事实的情况下，进行的) 推测，猜想

根据在线英语词源词典: http://www.etymonline.com/

Frank做出解释：conjecture= con（全部)+ ject(扔or喷) + ure(名词or动词后缀) ----在没有证据的情况下，把自己的想法全部扔出来，这只不过是猜测罢了。

 

同源词：inject, eject, reject, project, projector, interject, deject, abject

inject = in (into) + ject -> 向里喷 -> v.注射

eject = e(ex=out) + ject -> 向外喷 -> v.喷出，驱逐

reject = re(back) + ject -> 喷回来 -> vt.(厌恶地)拒绝

project = pro(forward) + ject -> 向前喷射(思想) -> vt.向前投射；n.项目, 工程

小翻译：希望工程

Project Hope

projector = project + or(人或设备) -> 向前投射光柱的设备 -> n.投影仪

interject = inter (between)+ ject -> 两个人在谈话，你在中间喷 -> vt.插话，打断 = interrupt

deject = de(down) + ject(throw) -> 往下扔 -> vt.使沮丧，使气馁 = discourage, depress

小翻译：这个消息使我沮丧。

The news dejects me.

abject = ab(away) + ject(throw) -> 被父母抛弃的孩子 ->a.可怜的，不幸的

 

Syllogism 形式逻辑三段论. [英文解释] deductive reasoning in which a conclusion is derived from two premises.

亚里士多德在逻辑学上最重要贡献就是三段论的学说。

一个三段论就是一个包括: 大前提(major premise)、小前提(minor premise)和结论(conclusion)三个部分的论证。

最著名的一个例子是：

Major premise：All men are mortal.          凡人都会死
Minor Premise：Socrates is a man.           苏格拉底是人
Conclusion：Therefore, Socrates is mortal.  苏格拉底会死
反之：不死不是人….呵呵….变成了immortal

 

fallacy = fall(倒塌) + acy(名词) -> 倒下的理论 -> n. 谬误

Your theory fell apart.       你的理论站不住脚

Your theory can hold water.   你的理论能够站脚

 

辨析：premise, promise

premise =pre(before) + mise(send) -> 提前送出的话 -> n. 前提条件

[近]precondition, prerequisite

promise = pro(forward) + mise(send) ->  向前送出你的话 -> n. vt.承诺[近]pledge, oath; 希望，未来 [近]prospect

小翻译1：他不遵守诺言，没来娶我。

He broke his promise(=ate his word) and did not come to marry me.

小翻译2：谈判失败的消息使和平无望。

The news, the negotiation broke, brings little promise of peace (= prospect of peace).

 

经典之四: 影片最后小法默用了“圣.奥古斯丁”的一句名言，用带有霸气的反问完美的结束了辩论。

St. Augustine said: "An unjust law is no law at all."

Which means I have a right, even a duty to resist with violence or civil disobedience......

You should pray I choose the later.

圣.奥古斯丁说过：“不公正的法律根本不能称之为法律”

也就是说我有权利，甚至是责任来反抗.是用暴力？还是用公民的不服从？

你们应该祈祷，我选择了后者。

 

“伟大辩手”迅雷下载地址

http://58.61.34.206/down?cid=5D05B9DC39176F725ACB7BD4CB88694801E5E8D3&t=4&fmt=flv