研究奥巴马就职演讲中的美国价值观

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1、AcknowledgmentsThanks for giving me this chance to achieve this paper and to make a conclusion for my four years university education. Through writing this paper, I have acquired more knowledge than I supposed.My sincere thanks are due to my supervisor，Ms. Zou Qiangzhen, for helping me to clarify my

2、 minds and strengthen the depth of my thinking.Here, I also want to give my thanks to other teachers and my classmates who gave me much help. Thank you!AbstractsBarack Obama is the first African American to have served as a president, as well as an outstanding orator. His inaugural addresses attract

3、ed much attention both abroad and at home ever since their delivery. He talks about American conditions in three waysindividual, society and country, and expresses his views on life, freedom as well as the pursuit of happiness. His addresses are not only the expression of sentences and the embodimen

4、t of internal thought, but also the side of American culture. The study of this paper is based on Obamas two inaugural speeches, and the paper specializes in analyzing the culture of American values that contained in these speeches. Due to the different systems of values between China and America, o

5、n the one hand, researching on Obamas wonderful speeches can allow Chinese to have a better recognition and understanding of the concrete contents of American values. On the other hand, it contributes to a further comprehension of American society and culture and the promotion of mutual communicatio

6、ns and exchanges.Key Words: American values; freedom; culture摘 要奥巴马是美国第一任非洲裔总统，也是一位杰出的演说家。他的就职演讲发表后引起了国内外广泛的关注，他从个人、社会、国家三个方面讲了美国的形势和国情，也表达了他对生存，自由的看法以及对幸福的追求。他的演讲不仅仅是言语的表达，内在思想的体现，更是美国文化的侧面体现。本文以奥巴马的两次就职演讲为研究对象，重点分析了演讲中体现出的美国价值观文化。由于中美两国不同的价值观体系，研究奥巴马总统的精彩演说一方面有助于中国人更好地认识，理解美国人具体的价值观内容。另一方面有助于中国人进一

7、步了解美国的社会和文化，增进彼此的沟通和交流关键词：美国价值观；自由；文化ContentsTOC o 1-3 h z u 1. Introduction 12. Values and American Values 22.1 The Definition of Values 22.2 The Definition of American Values 23. American Values in Inaugural Speech of Obama 33.1 Pursuing Freedom 33.2 Emphasizing Equality 53.3 Valuing Practice 73.4

8、 Promoting Innovation 83.5 Advocating Fair Competition 93.6 Upholding Hard Work 104. Conclusion 11Bibliography 12A Study on the American Values in Inaugural Speech of Barack Obama1. IntroductionOn January 21st, 2013, Barack Obama delivered his second inaugural address to the American public as the P

9、resident of the United States, and the first one was in 2009. Barack Obama is the first African American to have served as a president, as well as an outstanding orator. His inaugural addresses have attracted much attention both abroad and at home ever since its delivery. He talks about American sit

10、uations in three waysindividual, society and country. The subjects of his addresses are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness about Americans. These two speeches not only have a powerful persuasion but also give a full description of American culture. So it is necessary to elaborate on Obamas

11、speeches.Through the consulting a large number of literatures, relevant books and searching related content on the Internet, it can be seen in recent years that a lot of scholars have explored these two speeches from different aspects and got spectacular findings. Some scholars study Obamas inaugura

12、l speeches from the perspective of rhetoric. For example, Zheng Linlin studies the influence of Neo-Aristotelian rhetoric on Obamas speeches (6). Some scholars study the speeches from the perspective of language characteristics. Some scholars based on the theoretical framework of functional linguist

13、ics, investigate the expression of interpersonal meaning in Obamas inaugural addresses as well as how interpersonal meaning contained in the source speeches texts are converted into Chinese. In terms of functional equivalence, some scholars analyze Obamas speeches from the perspective of literature.

14、 For example, Liu Qian study the feature of literary style of Obamas speeches (5). Some scholars discuss the cultural connotation implied in Obamas speeches, for example, Wang Xuemei and Luo Lingzhis paper titled Obamas Speech and American Culture, reveals American unique political system, tradition

15、al culture and values (80).But, from the above analysis, it can be found that few scholars make a full analysis of American values implied in Obamas inaugural addresses. For this reason, this paper offers a discussion of American values that contained in Obamas inaugural addresses. With respect to t

16、he substance of American values, these are hard work, respect of freedom, attaching more importance to realities than vision, thinking highly of fair competition, enterprise and innovation, worship equality and personal struggle. For the feature of American values, we can conclude that it is widely

17、inclusive confluence, and more or less been influenced by their religious beliefs.America emerged from 13 British colonies at that time, but now it is a developed country on a globe scale, an internationally political and cultural force and a leader in scientific research and technological innovatio

18、ns. So this paper probes into American values in Obamas inaugural speeches can allow Chinese to have a better recognition and understanding of the concrete contents of American values. In addition to, it contributes to a further comprehension of American society and culture and the promotion of mutu

19、al communications and exchanges2. Values and American ValuesIn order to have a deep understanding of American values embodied in Obamas inaugural speeches, it is necessary to have a clear idea what are values and what are American values.2.1 The Definition of ValuesValues are the basic criteria that

20、 people use to measure something. They are the way of thinking, the reflection of a nations traditional culture and psychological quality. The natural and social environment where people live, as well as peoples social status and living conditions, all of those determine what kind of values people h

21、ave. People living in the same environment will form similar values. So every society has its own values which are accepted by the whole public. In light of ethics, values refer to the degree of significance of something or some behavior, with the aim of determining what is best behavior or what is

22、best way to live. Values are characterized by objectivity, subjectivity, socially historical attribution and multiple dimensions. Values dominate peoples faith, attitude, outlook and behavior, but they are of relative stability and durability. Peoples values are relatively stable in specific locatio

23、ns, at particular times, under given conditions. For example, people always have their own rules to comment on something. Their views will not change unless the conditions vary. Of course, with the change of their economic status, life values and world outlook, peoples values are in development (Wan

24、g 81).Values vary from person to person. Everyone has his own values because everyone has his own life experience and social background. Personal values provide an internal reference for what is good, beneficial, important, useful, beautiful, desirable and constructive. Values generate behavior and

25、influence the choices made by an individual. Values relate to the norms of a culture, but they are more global and abstract than norms, values are abstract concepts of what is important and worthwhile.Values have a close relationship with cultures, culture is the sum of material civilization and spi

26、ritual civilization created by acountry or a nation during the process of social development. Values are the reflection that people have for social existence, which belong to spiritual wealth. Therefore, the formation of values is based on different cultural backgrounds. Different cultures reflect t

27、he different values. Making a deep analysis of values is helpful for knowing more about one culture.2.2 The Definition of American ValuesAmerica, due to its much shorter history, vast land area, multiple races and beliefs, forms its own unique values. The contents of American values include the foll

28、owing:Upholding hard work refers to fight for individual and country with the aim of leading better life.Pursuing freedom means personal freedom is protected by some laws and countrys freedom maintains by its prosperous national strength and powerful military force.Valuing practice refers to America

29、n public think highly of realities more than words,they will make a choice according to the specific conditions.Emphasizing equality means every citizen is treated equally whether he is from the streets of Detroit to the hill of Appalachia or the quiet lanes of Newtown.Promoting innovation means to

30、improve, it can be easily seen in America, for instance, presidential election and a large amount of inventions.Advocating fair competition means American will struggle to get what he want, they believe that competition can produce challenge and pressure, which are beneficial to their enterprise and

31、 economy.3. American Values in Inaugural Speech of ObamaAmerican values are best embodied in Obamas two inaugural speeches. Unlike Chinese, America is mainly a nation of immigrants, its values owed to much its history, ideology, politic and so on. As a consequence of these factors, this research its

32、elf is enormous, abundant and complex. So the author introduces these items respectively, for the purpose of giving a full discussion of American values from Obamas inaugural speeches. Through the overall analyses, it is easy for people to master the literal meanings to a deep degree.3.1 Pursuing Fr

33、eedomObama said:Freedom is a gift from God, it must be secured by his people here on earth, preserving American individual freedom ultimately requires collective action. We do not believe that in United States, freedom is reserved for the lucky. Americans act on behalf of those who long for freedom.

34、From these sentences, one of American values can be found, which is pursuing freedom. In American opinion, God created freedom and everyone should work hard for it. It is necessary for them preserve freedom. It can be seen that in America freedom receives serious attention. In addition, throughout A

35、merican history, it can be seen that freedom is often repeated in political speeches, such as in Kennedys inaugural address in 1961. Political figures constant evocation of freedom in public discourse signifies the importance of freedom. Obama is a Protestant believer, and over 60% of Americans are

36、said to be Protestant believers. The Protestants hold their belief that man is created by God. Now, with the development of society, the religious beliefs of Americans have become stronger and stronger (Zhou 73). Every Sunday morning, all over America, people pour into the churches. Though there are

37、 few who stay away from church, half of Protestants are active church members. William Penn left for North America in 1681, where he founded a colony in todays Pennsylvania. He also established a liberal government, argued that the settlers could enjoy religious freedom, people were not born sinful,

38、 anyone could get some land without paying. These loose immigrant policies attracted thousands of people who were tired of religious persecution all over the world. Penns experiential policies had great impact on American culture, American founding fathers such as Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Frank

39、lin were influenced greatly by William Penns experiment.Obama said, “The patriots of 1776 did not fight to replace the tyranny of a king with the privileges of a few or the rule of a mob, founding fathers gave to America a republic, a government of the people, by the people and for the people.” Thes

40、e sentences show that the origin of Americans freedom can date back to 1776. As is illustrated in founding creed of America, Americans hold this truth to be self-evident,that all men are endowed by their Creator with the unalienable right to pursue their liberty. First of all, the Americans realized

41、 their countrys freedom. In 1773, a group of American patriots launched the “Boston Tea Party”, in the First Continental Congress in 1774, the colonial leaders opposed British oppression in the colonies, they urged Americans to resist British trade. Because patriots could not put up with British col

42、onial rules any longer, they refused to submit to the authority of the Parliament of Great Britain. They were eager to set up their own government that secures their rights. There was a great surge of patriotic feeling among members of American colonial society (Zhang 10). In their opinion, governme

43、nts are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed people. So American Revolution began in April 1775, for the purpose of pursuing sheer freedom. The War of Independence came to an end in 1781 with the victory of North Americans. The Treaty of Paris was signed

44、in 1783 and Britain had to recognize the independence of the United States. North Americans gained freedom in politics, a new Constitution of the United States was created.The theory of politics and a guiding tenet of the American Revolution derive from John Locke,an English philosopher in the 17th

45、century, known as the “Father of Liberalism.” He explained his position as follows:whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends,it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing it

46、s power in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. (qtd. in Wang and Zhu 42).These principles imply that Americans think highly of citizens freedom, so they will make effort to sustain their freedom. Each time Americans gather to inaugurate a president mean

47、 that they bear witness to the enduring strength of their Constitution. Bill of Rights guarantees freedom and individual rights and bans interference with lives of individuals by the government.Obama said, “we know that America thrives when every person can find independence and pride in their work.

48、” This sentence means personal freedom is emphasized in America. Freedom signifies citizenship as measured by civil and political rights for voters, that is to say, the ability to make ones own decisions. Personal freedom is also related to the background that their ancestors immigrated to new conti

49、nents, in search of new hunting grounds or refuge from pursuing enemies. Their spirit of initiative partly contributes to the Americans distinct personal freedom. In Americans mind, personal freedom is their divine right, when they are young, they should have the freedom of receiving education. They

50、 have the freedom of voting when their ages are proper enough by the laws. As for the affairs of state, and public affairs, they should be allowed to give their opinions freely, namely free speech. As for personal prospects, they should have the rights to change their jobs and whether or not choose

51、a job. In addition, they should have the right to choose a spouse, religious belief, and decide where they want to settle down. American feel free to disagree with each other at any time, that kind of freedom is even a source of pride for many.However, American was disciplined that they should respe

52、ct others freedom and right from a young age, it means that to some extent restrict own freedom. Due to preventing the society from being disorders and keeping in order is crucial to the development of society, hence individual freedom is limited and controlled to a certain degree. Its standard is a

53、nyone could not hinder others freedom when enjoy own freedom. Laws, regulations and rules stand on behalf of the minoritys purpose and will in whole society, and it must be adhered and stuck to in appropriate scope once it has gained legal authority.Unluckily, in history, a unique American phenomeno

54、n was that Negroes were bought to be as slaves, so their freedom was destroyed cruelly. On the one hand, the English and other Europeans went to North America in search of freedom. But on the other hand, these very white people who were seeking and fighting for their own freedom deprived black Afric

55、ans of their freedom. George Washington was a great fighter for American freedom, and Thomas Jefferson was a chief author of the Declaration of Independence, and yet both of them were slave owners, each with over 200 black slaves.3.2 Emphasizing EqualityObama said, “the God give promise that all men

56、 are equal and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.For we, the people, understand that a country cannot succeed when a shrinking few do very well and a growing many barely make it.” From the word “every” we can learn that person has equal opportunity generally in America.

57、It can be seen that in America all peoples equality were emphasized. Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American philosopher, said that how to think, what kind of life. Their modes of thinking have a significant influence on their life. As American founding documents illustrated, all men are created equal, Oba

58、ma also repeated this sentence in the speech. There are some examples to illustrate this value.The earlier colonists of America mostly came from middle class and low class. They didnt tend to distinguish peoples class strictly, though the influence of European hereditary tradition and rank view stil

59、l remained in society, the American gradually paid little attention to it. Besides, American continents was newly opened up, abundant natural resources provided the diligent worker with the prosperity of future life, it promoted the concept to be equal to a higher degree. Nonetheless, every general

60、statement about life in the United States could be contradicted by exceptions, often several exceptions, just like a saying goes, every silver lining has its cloud.In the United States, the blacks and American Indians and other racial groups are still suffering from racial discrimination and injusti

61、ce. Americans are mainly a nation of immigrants, so it is described as a “Melting Pot”. The citizens or their ancestors immigrated from many parts of the globe-some as refugees from religious political persecution, some as adventurers from the Old World seeking a better life, some fleeing a hopeless

62、 economic situation or natural disaster, some wanting greater educational opportunities, and some as captives brought to America against their own will to be sold into slavery. Though people all share a common America culture, the nation contains many racial and ethnic subcultures with their own dis

63、tinctive characteristics. These differences might seem trivial or irrelevant to outside observers, but they have contributed to racial conflicts that have been a persistent social problems to American society. There are various racial discrimination in America though racial segregation is against th

64、e law. American society is a stratified one, in which power, wealth, and prestige are unequally distributed among the population. This inequality is not simply a matter of distinctions between gender and social classes; it tends to follow racial and ethnic lines as well, with the result that class d

65、ivisions often parallel racial divisions.The first male settlers from “Anglo-Saxon” northwestern Europe quickly took control of economic assets and political power in the United States, and they have maintained this control, to a greater or lesser degree. Ever since, constant waves of immigrants fro

66、m other parts of Europe and elsewhere in the world had to struggle long and hard to become assimilated into the mainstream of American life. Some people notably those whose ethnic or racial characteristics differ most markedly from those of the dominant groups-have been excluded by formal and informal barriers from full p