VOA慢速英语2013 电影探索传统社会的性别关系

 

Films Explore Gender¹ Relations in Traditional Societies 电影探索传统社会的性别关系

Two new independent films, one by Afghan director Atiq Rahimi, and another by the first female Saudi filmmaker Haifaa al-Mansour, explore gender relations in two traditional societies.

Rahimi’s film unravels² in an imagined country based on war-torn Afghanistan. The other takes place in Saudi Arabia. Although very different in style and treatment, both films zoom³ in on a woman's world and perceptions in gender segregated⁴ societies.

A young woman in Atiq Rahimi's film The Patience Stone pours out her heart to her comatose⁵ husband about years of emotional neglect and abuse.

The wife finds solace⁶ in her unresponsive husband. He becomes her Patience Stone, a legendary⁷ stone that, according to tradition, holds secrets and provides relief.

Afghan activist⁸ Hossai Wardak says Rahimi paints an accurate picture of the typical Afghan loveless marriage and family relations in male-dominated societies like Afghanistan.

“Marriage tends to be a relation where it’s more of being able to produce babies and expand families and to have somebody to take care of you," said Wardak.

She says the absence of communication in many arranged marriages leads to mutual⁹ unhappiness, domestic violence and violence at large.

Why are there wars? Why do we end up with violence?

"It’s because there is no human compassion,” she said.

In her Saudi film, Wadjda, Haifaa al-Mansour also exposes gender taboos¹⁰.

The film centers on 10-year-old Wadjda, who dreams of buying a bicycle despite society's disapproval¹¹. The film follows her as she plans to purchase the bike while her mother fears losing her husband to a second wife because she is unable to produce a son.

As the first female filmmaker in her country, al-Mansour paves the way for other Saudi women in film.

"Religious leaders are re-examining, re-visiting their literature and they are becoming more tolerant and more accepting of women, for example, working in a mixed environment," al-Mansour said. "So there is change in Saudi and I think there is a striking difference between Saudi Arabia and a place like Pakistan or Afghanistan."

Saudi Arabia has selected Wadjda as its first ever entry for the foreign language Oscar.

1 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

2 unravels   

解开，拆散，散开( unravel的第三人称单数 )； 阐明； 澄清； 弄清楚

参考例句：

• Khrushchev's Cold War unravels the tangled contradictions in his leadership of the Communist Party. 赫鲁晓夫的冷战》这本书揭示出赫鲁晓夫作为共产党的领袖，面临着一些棘手的问题。

3 zoom   

n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升

参考例句：

• The airplane's zoom carried it above the clouds.飞机的陡直上升使它飞到云层之上。
• I live near an airport and the zoom of passing planes can be heard night and day.我住在一个飞机场附近，昼夜都能听到飞机飞过的嗡嗡声。

4 segregated   

分开的； 被隔离的

参考例句：

• a culture in which women are segregated from men 妇女受到隔离歧视的文化
• The doctor segregated the child sick with scarlet fever. 大夫把患猩红热的孩子隔离起来。

5 comatose   

adj.昏睡的，昏迷不醒的

参考例句：

• Those in extreme fear can be put into a comatose type state.那些极端恐惧的人可能会被安放进一种昏迷状态。
• The doctors revived the comatose man.这个医生使这个昏睡的苏醒了。

6 solace   

n.安慰；v.使快乐；vt.安慰(物)，缓和

参考例句：

• They sought solace in religion from the harshness of their everyday lives.他们日常生活很艰难，就在宗教中寻求安慰。
• His acting career took a nosedive and he turned to drink for solace.演艺事业突然一落千丈，他便借酒浇愁。

7 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

8 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。

9 mutual   

adj.相互的，彼此的；共同的，共有的

参考例句：

• We must pull together for mutual interest.我们必须为相互的利益而通力合作。
• Mutual interests tied us together.相互的利害关系把我们联系在一起。

10 taboos   

禁忌( taboo的名词复数 )； 忌讳； 戒律； 禁忌的事物（或行为）

参考例句：

• She was unhorsed by fences, laws and alien taboos. 她被藩蓠、法律及外来的戒律赶下了马。
• His mind was charged with taboos. 他头脑里忌讳很多。

11 disapproval   

n.反对，不赞成

参考例句：

• The teacher made an outward show of disapproval.老师表面上表示不同意。
• They shouted their disapproval.他们喊叫表示反对。