首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Considering how jazz is transcribed in Chinese (jueshi), you may be misled into assuming that it is an aristocratic cultural for
Considering how jazz is transcribed in Chinese (jueshi), you may be misled into assuming that it is an aristocratic cultural for
admin
2011-02-11
38
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 troth. 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? 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 that 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." Jazz brought together dements from Africa and Europe, fusing them into a new culture, an expression unique to the Americas.
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 culture 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.
According to the passage, Jazz is
选项
A、actually an aristocratic cultural form.
B、a cultural form peculiar to the upper class.
C、a cultural form despised by the Americans.
D、a cultural form originated in America.
答案
D
解析
第1段最后一句表明爵士乐源于美国黑人,D指出爵士乐起源于美国,意思符合原文该句内容,故选D。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/BveO777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
Ifpolicymakershopetomakefasterprogressinimprovingeconomicperformance,reducingpoverty,andslowing【M1】______
Manypeoplethinkthattraditionalcultureswillbelostasscienceandtechnologydevelops.People’slifeischangingrapidlyw
A、federalgovernmentB、thehorse-loversC、thepeoplewhokillthewildhorseD、thenativepeopleC
Amongthefollowing,______istheonewhowasmostinfluencedbyChinesepoetryandphilosophy.
TheCinemaThefirstmovingpictures,developedinthe1890’s,weredifferentfromwhatweknowaboutcinematoday.Because
OncefoundalmostentirelyinthewesternUnitedStatesandinAsia,dinosaurfossilsarenowbeingdiscoveredonallsevencont
ThecapitalofNewZealandis______.
外来移民难道真的是欧洲社会难以摆脱的失业和高犯罪率的罪魁祸首吗?今天的欧洲或许算是一方乐土,吸引着非洲、亚洲、南美洲的许多年轻人背井离乡到这里来谋生求发展。更重要的是,西欧今天已经离不开移民。移民的到来对欧洲的经济社会发展,甚至改善欧洲人口年龄结构,起着不
Inaperfectlyfreeandopenmarketeconomy,thetypeofemployer—governmentorprivate-shouldhavelittleornoimpactonthee
ThestatisticsI’vecitedandthelivingexamplesarealltoofamiliartoyou.Butwhatmaynotbesofamiliarwillbetheincre
随机试题
影响蛋白质变性的因素有_______。
造成军团病发病的主要原因是
治疗反流性食管炎效果最好的药物是
百部杀虫的功效,可用于
某案,在开庭审理过程中,控辩双方对案件中的事实和法律问题经过多轮辩论后,公诉人和辩护人都表示没有新的意见,此时审判长应当()
企业在采用追溯调整法对会计政策变更进行处理时,除须计算变更的累积影响数并对各相关项目予以调整外,应需要重编以前年度会计报表。()
不久前,国家教委、国家体委、卫生部、国家民委、国家科委联合对全国中小学生体质健康状况进行了普查,发现学生的耐力、柔韧性、肺活量等状况较之10年前有下降的趋势。据专家分析,造成这一现象的直接原因是学生体育锻炼得不够,包括锻炼时间和锻炼强度均达不到要求,情况
给定资料1.2019年3月,中共中央办公厅印发《关于解决形式主义突出问题为基层减负的通知》(以下简称《通知》),明确提出将2019年作为“基层减负年”。为落实《通知》精神,陕西省委印发《解决形式主义突出问题为基层减负十条措施》,明确2019年省委
Clerk:Goodmorning.CanIhelpyou?Mr.Smith:Yes,I’dlikeatickettoNewYork9:15tomorrowmorning.Clerk:______?
Readthisadviceaboutrespondingtoquestionsfromtheaudiencewhilegivingpresentations.Choosethebestsentencefromth
最新回复
(
0
)