付仲飛
(泉州市第七中學,福建 泉州 362000)
全球新冠肺炎疫情與俄烏沖突影響下,災難教育的現實意義愈受關注。災難教育以人類遭遇過的重大災難為基本素材,引導學生認識自然、認識社會、認識自我,珍惜生命,提高危機意識,掌握科學方法,加強品格修養,增強社會責任感,培養應對各種災難的基本能力。[1]人類的歷史是一部不屈不撓抗爭各種災難的歷史,世界上絕大部分文學經典都與災難和苦難有關。顯然,英語經典文學語篇蘊含著新的育人內涵。
高中英語教材中,經典文學作品歷來是編者非常重視的選材內容。例如,舊人教版(2007 年)必修1 Workbook Unit 4 THE STORY OF AN EYEWITNESS 改編自杰克·倫敦的同名新聞通訊,記錄1906 年舊金山大地震及其引發火災中作者的所見所聞所感。再如,舊北師大版(2009 年)必修3 Unit 7 第四課Sea Stories改編自埃德加·愛倫·坡的短篇小說《莫斯肯漩渦沉浮記》,講述一個漁夫遭遇莫斯肯旋渦并幸存下來的故事。該版教材選修8 Unit 23 第三課War Memories 中,A 語篇改編自西摩·赫什的報道《美萊村》,披露越戰期間美軍制造的“美萊大屠殺”真相;B 語篇改編自弗蘭克·理查茲的小說《老兵永生》,記述第一次世界大戰期間作者參戰的經歷。
新英語課程越來越重視人文性和時代性的價值取向。四個語篇分別重排于新人教版(2019 年)必修1 Workbook Unit 4,新北師大版(2019 年)必修2 Unit 5第一課A SEA STORY 以及選擇性必修4 Unit 11 第三課。主題語境下,四個災難文學作品經過了二次改編,語篇呈現新的語言特征,內容更加豐盈,意義空間進一步打開。
深入研讀語篇,挖掘文本的價值導向,是培養學生英語學科核心素養、落實學科育人的關鍵。不同教師研讀語篇的角度和方法會有所不同。在對語篇進行研讀時,教師還可以進一步關注語篇的選材出處和發表時間,分析作者或說話人的立場、觀點和寫作或表述風格,以及特定時期的語言特點和時代印記等。[2]比較是一種有效的學習和研究方法。原文與選文比較,有助于發現文本教學價值的落腳點;類文比較,有助于尋找文本教學價值的遷移點。[3]
因此,有必要將以上四組新舊語篇進行比較研讀。通過分析新語篇的語言表現手法,領悟新教材編寫者二次創作的意圖,揭示語篇的災難教育導向,準確把握作品的育人價值。
生命是教育的邏輯起點和最高目的。在災難教育中滲透生命教育,是災難教育的應有之義。縱然災難已成歷史,經典文學作品仍能借助語言的力量將其形象地復原,讓讀者仿佛身臨其境,直面震撼內心的山呼海嘯和槍林彈雨。讀者在與作品共時同感的災難場景中,體會到自然之博大、戰火之無情、人類之渺小,引發他們敬畏自然和居安思危,體悟生命的真諦。(下文依序以新語篇一至四指代上述四個新語篇;例中斜體部分為替換過的或新添加的內容,括號內為舊用詞)
1.描述性語言
例1:①Within an hour of thefirstquake,the smoke could be seen 100 miles away.The sun was red in the dark sky.There was no stopping the fires.
②Out at sea it was calm.No wind came up.Yet from every direction——east,west,north,and south,strong winds blew upon the unlucky cityand those whose homes had once stood in its green hills.
例2:①Ahugewave covered our boat and my younger brother fell into the sea.(enormous)
②With the wind and waves we were going in the direction of the whirlpool.
③We went round and round,nearer and nearer to the horrible edge of the whirlpool.
④...and we were going round in circles at great speed.
⑤...,itwas pulled intothe bottom of the whirlpool.(sank into)
例3:Chuc was wounded in the leg and almost unconscious,but he was covered by a pile of dead bodies and thus,his life wassaved.
采用描述性語言進行敘述,使得細節刻畫變得準確、生動、逼真,容易引起讀者想象或聯想,幫助讀者對語篇情境感同身受。新語篇一通過描繪濃煙規模、天空顏色、火勢蔓延的速度以及大火的風向,強調了地震引發火災的肆虐無情(例1)。新語篇二通過展示大漩渦的大小、形狀、方向、速度與力量,突出了大漩渦震撼無比的威力和磅礴氣勢(例2)。新篇語三通過描寫慘絕人寰的災難現場,反映了戰爭的殘酷,進而凸顯生命之可貴(例3)。
2.修飾詞
例4:①Wednesday night saw the destruction of the very heart of the city.
②Some weredressed onlyin blankets....(covered)
例5:①That was the day when it tookonlysix hours to break my body and soul.
②I knew what he meant by thatoneword well enough.
③...and I cannot expect you to believe meanymore than the fishermen did.
修飾詞的適當使用可以加強語氣,使作品的語言更具穿透力、感染力。新語篇一、二通過添加only、one、any 以及very 等修飾詞,達到強化災難場景描寫的效果,讓讀者感受到地震和火災巨大的破壞力,體會到大漩渦的神奇威力(例4,例5)。
3.修辭手法
例6:①The earthquake that hit San Francisco on April 18 shook down hundreds of thousands of dollars'worth of walls and chimneys.
②But the fire that followed burned up hundreds of millions of dollars'worth of buildings and homes.
例7:It took less than a single day to change my hair from black to white.
修辭手法的恰當使用能充分體現語言魅力,起到增強語勢與渲染思想的作用,提升語篇的文學藝術性。新語篇一、二更加注重修辭手法的使用。擬人手法與反復手法讓讀者真切感受到地震與火災帶來的滿目瘡痍(例4①,例6,例14);反復手法使作品中的大漩渦更具畫面感和現場感,給人以強烈的震撼(例2③),夸張與比喻手法強調了大漩渦給主人公帶來巨大的身心傷害(例5①,例7,例15)。
災難題材應側重對災難的理性敘事,理性地面對自然和人類自身,以避免災難的根本教訓缺位。沒有理性的反思,就會陷入悲劇的死循環。[1]經典文學語篇蘊含更加豐富的情感教育,旨在培養讀者健康的災難心理,引導讀者學會處變不驚,堅強、冷靜、客觀地正視災難、接受災難,做到有災無慌、有慌不亂。
例8:①Tens of thousandswho had lost their homes left the city to look for shelter from the fires.
(thousands and thousands of people)
②Nothing is left of it but memories and some houses far from the centre of the city.A list of buildings undestroyed was now only a few addresses.A list of the brave men and women would fill the library.A list of all those killed will never be made.
例9:①...but he was toofrightenedand stayed in the heavy boat.(terrified)
②...the whirlpool became lesswild.(violent)
③One day,my two brothers and I...islandswhere we often risked going...
④After a while,I became curious about the whirlpool itself....I felt calmer than when we were moving towards it.
⑤I began to think how amazing a thing it was to die in such a way,and how wonderful it was to see the power of nature!
例10:The people began weeping andpraying.(begging)
例11:The German officer asked Bill if we would likesomebeer.(a couple barrels of)
英語中同義詞、近義詞眾多,但選用不同的詞匯其情感的表達程度是不同的。經過編者精心斟酌用詞色彩,語篇的筆力走勢得以改變,作品中人物形象得以重塑。新語篇一通過替換數量詞和刪除部分負面的語言表達,語篇氛圍從憂郁變為深沉,作者對災難的態度從消極悲觀變為積極上進(例8)。新語篇二通過弱化貶義詞,大漩渦的形象從兇惡變為神秘,語篇氛圍從恐怖變為凝重(例2①,例9①②);通過添加褒義詞,主人公個性變得勇敢、好奇、冷靜與樂觀,其對大自然的態度從逆來順受變為敬畏順應(例9③④⑤)。新語篇三、四分別通過替換同義詞與數量詞,作品中災民們的特質從甘受屈辱變為自尊自強(例10);士兵的內心情緒從失落焦躁變為沉穩平靜(例11)。
課程應強調生態、跨文化和跨學科學習,支持學生獲取和生產知識,同時培養他們批判和應用知識的能力。[4]災難作為生活的一部分,其問題需要多學科的視角、知識與方法的綜合運用才能解決。[5]在學科領域滲透災難教育,有助于激發學生好奇心和求知欲,充分調動學生深入了解人與自然的復雜關系,不斷提高科學素養,增強他們運用智慧解決生活問題的能力。
例12:Man himself had to make ruins of some the city's best buildings so that they would not be a danger to those in the streets.
例13:I noticed that the heavier objects went down more quickly than the smaller,lighter ones.
→Then I made three important observations.First,the larger the bodies were,the more rapidly they fell;the second,between two objects of equal extents,round objects fell down less rapidly;and the third,between two objects of the same size,objects shaped like a tube fell down more slowly.
災害發生時逃生、自救、避險等知識點的跨學科整合,有助于普及減災防災科學知識,提高人們災害防范意識。新語篇一通過創造性添加first 一詞,強調地殼運動的發生規律,以及通過保留舊語篇中有關火災避險的科學做法,形象地介紹了與地震和火災相關的次生災害防范常識(例1①;例12)。新語篇二通過擴寫,通俗地解釋了流體力學原理的應用(例13)。
教育學應培養學生的智力、社會和道德修養,促進學生同理心和同情心的養成,從而通力合作改造世界。[4]在災難面前,抒寫人類共有的對民眾蒼生的悲憫情懷尤其重要。鼓勵學生對作品中人物的狀態或需要保持敏感,設身處地地體會他們的情感、行為與動機,有助于學生想象體驗文中的情境,與人物產生情感共鳴,進而軟化、感化學生的心靈,增進其同理心和同情心。
例14:①San Francisco is gone.
②The factories,...and the great houses of the rich are all gone.
③All of the ways man had made to keep the city safe were gone...
④By Wednesday afternoon,half of the heart of the city was gone.
例15:I felt sick,as if I was falling from a mountain top in a dream.
例16:The calm endedand panic set in.
例17:The officers came to an understanding that we would celebrate Christmas intemporarypeace until midnight.
在文學作品中,人物的語言是人物思想情感的集中體現。新語篇一、二通過增加人物語言描寫并結合修辭手法的運用,真實抒發了作者對受災城市和市民的惻隱之心和惋惜之情(例1②尾句,例8,例14);生動展現了大漩渦給主人公帶來的痛苦與無助(例5①,例7,例15)。新語篇三、四分別強調了戰爭給民眾帶來的恐慌,以及士兵們對和平的渴求(例16,例17)。
災難文學作品目的不是為了記錄災難和渲染災難,而是透過災難來張揚一種生命的莊嚴與人類精神。[6]面臨災難時,人類所表現出的美好品德與人性光輝是經典文學作品抒寫的主旋律。災難幫助人類學會冷靜思考、銘記歷史,學會包容與團結,推動人類不斷地進行反思,在反思中汲取豐富的人文精神,從而促進社會進步,這是災難帶給人類最有價值的部分。
例18:①They helped one another climb the high hills around the city.
→But there were no fights and no pushing or shoving.Somehow this worst of disasters brought out the best in the survivors.
②Never in all of San Francisco's history were her people so kind as on this night of terror.
例19:As you can see,I did escape.I will bring my story quickly to a conclusion.
→As you can see,the reason why I'm here to tell the story is that I made the right decision.
例20:...the American soldiers entered the village and orderedall civiliansout of their homes.(them)
例21:We told him he wasn't the only one who was fed up with it.
主題是文學語篇的靈魂,是作者的寫作目的之所在,也是作品的價值意義之所在。主題的深淺往往決定著作品價值的高低。新語篇一通過擴寫,進一步充實作品的主題內容,歌頌了災難中人們同舟共濟、善良友愛與堅忍不拔的優秀品格(例18)。新語篇二通過改寫,直接點明了作品的主題,強調主人公因保持鎮定,通過觀察做出正確決定,從而從漩渦中死里逃生,突出了災難面前人類冷靜沉穩,尊重自然規律的積極現實意義(例19)。新語篇三、四通過改寫以及整體編排語篇,恢復關鍵句至原文,展現了慘烈的戰爭給士兵乃至無辜平民帶來的心靈創傷(例20,例21)。
新高中英語課程背景下,經典文學作品回應現實、映照時代,煥發出新的生命力。語篇的災難題材超越了災難本身,主題趨向多元,育人內涵更加豐富。從學生精神成長角度審視經典文學語篇的價值取向,有助于教師尊重新教材編者的本意,有效把握教學核心內容,推動學生在語言學習中形成正確的生命觀、災難觀和道德觀,成為有人文素養和社會責任感的人。