切斯特曼: 美国名人传记/CHESTERMAN: Famous Americans in History

在线客服 | 意见反馈 | 在线订单 | 帮助中心 | 我要纠错

您当前的位置首页 –> 英语读物 –> 初级历史 –> 切斯特曼: 美国名人传记 CHESTERMAN: Famous Americans in History

- 切斯特曼: 美国名人传记
  CHESTERMAN: Famous Americans in History
- 专辑号：NA225812
  订购价格：15元/月

切斯特曼: 美国名人传记 / CHESTERMAN: Famous Americans in History
[ 读物介绍 ]
Barnaby ChestermanFAMOUS AMERICANS IN HISTORYDavy Crockett • Clara Barton • Sitting Bull Theodore Roosevelt • Helen Keller • HenryFord George Gershwin • MartinLuther King Read byLorelei King and Kerry Shale Each country has its heroes – the men and women who, bytheir individual achievements and courage, changed the character of theirnation. And this is particularly true of the United States of America, acountry where the effort of the individual is particularly highly regarded. Here are eight men and women whose life and work made anunforgettable mark upon American history. They came from very different walksof life, achieved very different things, but by their imagination, their effortand their perseverance they enabled the United States to march further alongthe path of progress. Of course, the history of the United States is so rich insuch people it is very difficult to make a choice for this recording. Thestories of George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, two of the most importantpresidents, have already been presented in Naxos AudioBooks’ collections ofworld figures: Famous People in History, Volumes I and II. But these men and women – some quite ordinary in many ways –represent the variety of American people. Above all they show how people who donot appear to have any particular natural talent (they were not child prodigieslike Mozart, nor were they born to rule like Alexander the Great), emerge asremarkable adults whose names will never be forgotten. These eight figures are presented in chronological order. DAVY CROCKETT (1786-1836) The Spirit of the American Frontier Davy Crockett is perhaps the most unusual hero in thiscollection. He didn’t win any major battles, he didn’t discover anything, andhe didn’t write anything of note (though his autobiography is fascinating evenif some of it may be as much fiction as fact). But Davy Crockett is typicallyAmerican. A backwoodsman with very little education, he was mostcontent when deep in the Tennessee woods with his dogs, hunting bears. Hefought and grafted his way into manhood, emerging with simple principles ofright and wrong, tempered by his personal experiences of life on the frontier –exciting, hard, dangerous but satisfying. When he went into politics, he must have viewed the cut andthrust of elections and lobbying as much the same as his life in the woods.Maybe it was because he could see the wood for the trees and because he wassuch a sure shot that he did so well in politics. In many ways, with Davy Crockett, the legend is moreimportant than the man. That is why we start with the famous song. But there isno doubt that Davy Crockett inspired millions of boys all over the world. Herewas a man who came from a very simple background, walked tall in the woods, succeededalso among the clever politicians of the big towns, and was still able to walkaway and fight for the independence of Texas – and ultimately die for thecause.In many ways, he is the ultimate American hero. CLARA BARTON (1821-1912) America’s Angel of the Battlefield Clara Barton is another example of individual courage. Shehad a timid personality, yet her whole life was one of boldness – particularlybecause she was a woman in a man’s world. Her work in caring for wounded men inthe Civil War set new standards in the United States as Florence Nightingaledid for nursing in the Crimean War. She was always ready to promote causes shebelieved in: after the Civil War ended, she fought for women’s rights and blackrights. And even when she went to Europe for a rest, she saw herkind of campaigning spirit was needed to expand the Red Cross network, and sheplunged herself once more into action. Many advances in society, in politics or in war are seen interms of concrete achievements – an invention, a political coup or a battlewon.But Clara Barton demonstrated that equally important are the quieter victories, where humanitarian progress is made. SITTING BULL (1831-1890)Native American Warrior and Hero It is difficult for us to imagine what it must have beenlike to be a Native American in the 19th century. The way of life the Sioux,Cheyenne and other tribes of the plains – the age-old life of thehunter-gatherer, living close to nature – were being swept aside by invaderswho were essentially town-dwellers and farmers. At first, the tribes hadneither little understanding of the pressures from the old world (Europe),which forced the immigrants to look for new lands, nor the sheer numbersinvolved. This meant that no matter how fiercely Sitting Bull and his menresisted, there was simply no chance of success. Yet Sitting Bull defended hislands and led his men with honour. And when final capitulation came, and he went to thereservation, he tried living with dignity, tried to understand the ways of theconquerors. His sad end marked a low point in that relationship, but his lifeand death is an example of dignity within tragedy. THEODORE ROOSEVELT (1858-1919) America’s 26th President It was the man, as much as the achievements, that marked thelife of Theodore Roosevelt. Though born into wealth, he had poor health andcould have accepted the life of an invalid. But he refused this and, with hisfather’s help, let his strong character and personal energy overcome thoselimitations. By working hard on his physique and his sports, as well as hisstudies, he fed his urgent need to succeed in all areas. This resulted in anunusual political leader, as comfortable in action as in Congress. His contactwith Japan even resulted in his learning judo – then regarded very much as amind and body skill, concerned with the building of character – to add to hisboxing accomplish-ments. It is significant that in addition to his politicalwork in the United States, as well as his foreign diplomacy, he alsointroduced numerous national bird reserves and national parks – an earlyexample of ‘green’ awareness. HELEN KELLER (1880-1968)America’s First Lady of Courage The life of Helen Keller is one of remarkable personalcourage. Here was a person who could simply have given in. A young, lively,intelligent child cruelly forced into a silent dark world of deafness andblindness by meningitis. Yet given half a chance – supportive parents and thehuge fortune to meet a woman like Anne Sullivan to lead her out of her isolation– Helen Keller showed how a human spirit could shine brightly, no matter whatthe difficulty. Her life story is one of the most inspiring in the history ofmankind anywhere. She didn’t give in to self-pity at any point – she fought tolive life to the full, and by her personal example affected the people she metin many countries, the people she corresponded with and the millions who readabout her.Helen Keller will continue to be a heroine for us all. HENRY FORD (1863-1947)Father of the American Automobile More than any single person in the history of the UnitedStates of America, Henry Ford represents the entrepreneurial spirit. He was themodern equivalent of Bill Gates – what Gates was to the computer and Microsoft,Ford was to the automobile and the Model T Ford. His interest in transport emerged at an early age, when thesight of a steam engine laid the first seeds to the eventual development of theModel T. But he was more than just an inventor. Henry Ford changed Americabecause, in addition to being an imaginative engineer, he had remarkableorganizational ability – allowing him to run a big and successful company - butalso a commercial and social vision. He saw that the car could be for everyone,and not just for the rich. ‘I will build a car for the great multitude,’ hedeclared. And that is just what he did. By 1912 he had not only created the Model T, but had alsostarted the dealer-franchise system, with 7,000 Ford dealers throughout theUnited States. Next was his manufacturing break-through, with interchangeableparts and the creation of the assembly line concept. He was ready to supply thedemand – and it was huge. More than 15 million Model Ts were sold. When he died, he left much of his multi-million fortune tothe Ford Foundation to promote inter-national understanding – yet anothergenerous and visionary concept. GEORGE GERSHWIN (1898-1937)Rhapsody of an American Composer Summertime, Swanee River, Fascinatin’ Rhythm and The Man ILove, I Got Rhythm and Embraceable You are just a few of the great songswritten by George Gershwin, one of the most important American composers. Likemany masters of the musical, George Gershwin came from an immigrant family -his parents were of Russian-Jewish background - but he absorbedthe very nature of American music. His natural gift for the piano gave him agood start, but it was his ear for popular tunes that allowed him to make hismark early on as a composer. He made the music swing. But George Gershwin also liked classical music - he grew upknowing Mozart, Beethoven and Chopin – and it was always his aim to write bothpopular music and concert music. This was unusual. By having concert hits with works such as Rhapsody in Blueand An American in Paris, and adding a piano concerto, he secured a place inconcert halls throughout the world for his music. And although his opera Porgyand Bess was initially well received, it is now regarded as the first importantAmerican opera. MARTIN LUTHER KING (1929-1968) Vision of the American Dream The history of America has been shaped by the tragedy ofslavery. For over two hun-dred years, millions were kidnapped from their homesin Africa and taken to America to work the land and serve white masters. Andthough the Civil War ended slavery, it did not immediately result in equalityfor the former slaves. Some 65 years later, when Martin Luther King Jr. wasborn, there was still discrimination against the black population, especiallyin the southern states.Using his intelligence, edu-cation, courage and humanitarianprinciples, Martin Luther King set out to change the attitudes towardsAfrican-Americans, to abolish laws which discriminated against them, and tofight for equality of rights. As late as the 1960s, laws existed which prevented black andwhite children from being educated at the same schools, forced black women togive up bus seats for white men, and which allowed restaurateurs to refuse toserve black customers. Yet taking his cue from the Indian leader Mahatma Gandhi,King decided to lead a peaceful revolution – to change the laws through quietprotest, not violence. He succeeded and gained the respect of millions. His tragedywas that he was assassinated at the peak of his success. The United States ofAmerica would not be as it is today, were it not for the peaceful butdetermined campaigns of Martin Luther King. Notes by Nicolas Soames