VOA标准英语2014--Nigerian-American Turns Story of Harriet Tubman into Opera

 

Nigerian-American Turns Story of Harriet Tubman into Opera

A new opera, written by a second-generation Nigerian-American, tells the story of Harriet Tubman, who, a century-and-a-half ago, escaped from slavery and led others to  freedom.

When Nkeiru Okoye was a little girl, she spent a lot of time shuttling between the United States - her mother’s home country - and her father’s homeland, Nigeria.   While she found the culture shock disorienting, there were some things that remained constant.  For one,“I don’t remember ever not knowing about Harriet Tubman," she said. "My mother used to love to read my sister and me stories, so my mother probably told me about her  even before I learned about Harriet in school.”

Those early stories turned into a fascination¹ that Okoye has now turned into a work of art.

"Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line To Freedom," is presented by the American Opera Projects.  The group received an award from America's National Endowment for  the Arts to present works commemorating² Tubman in this, the 100th anniversary of her death.  Tubman was born into slavery in the state of Maryland around 1820. In 1849, a dozen years before the U.S. Civil War would be fought between northern and southern  states over the question of slavery, Tubman escaped to the north and freedom.

“But she became famous because she went back down to rescue the rest of her family and anyone else that would go with her,” Okoye said.

Tubman helped arrange a series of safe houses and hiding places called The Underground Railroad, that escaped slaves used to reach freedom.  The people who ran the  Railroad were called “conductors.”

“Harriet, who became known as ‘Moses,’ was the most famous conductor in the U.S,” said Okoye.

There are many tall tales about Tubman’s life.  And Okoye says she originally set out to add to that tradition.

“When I started this process, I wanted to pay tribute³ to Harriet Tubman by writing a highly fictionalized account of her,” she said.

Instead, she was inspired to dig into the true story of Tubman, rather than the legend.  “I spent three years getting to know Harriet's world,” she said.

Using that research, Okoye created what is called a “folk opera.”

“Which is slightly different from regular opera.  Most of the music in Harriet Tubman is rooted in traditional African-American folk idioms," she said. "So there are  elements of gospel, jazz, blues⁴, and then you hear a “field holler,” you hear ragtime⁵, work songs and there are things that sound like spirituals throughout the  opera.

Okoye’s attempt to be true to Tubman’s life is a key part of "When I Crossed That Line To Freedom."  “The First Act is called ‘In slavery’ and the Second Act of the opera is called ‘In Freedom.’  I did that because I thought it was very important for listeners to  experience Harriet as a full person," Okoye said.  "I think most people like to think of Harriet as a born liberator⁶ and it robs them of an important part of the  story.  It’s kind of hero worship.  We don’t get that there’s this vulnerable⁷ person who’s there.  We don’t get the full picture.

"Harriet Tubman: When I Crossed That Line To Freedom," is being performed in December, February and March in New York’s Fort⁸ Greene, the location of an actual  Underground Railroad station.

1 fascination   

n.令人着迷的事物，魅力，迷恋

参考例句：

• He had a deep fascination with all forms of transport.他对所有的运输工具都很着迷。
• His letters have been a source of fascination to a wide audience.广大观众一直迷恋于他的来信。

2 commemorating   

v.纪念，庆祝( commemorate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• He was presented with a scroll commemorating his achievements. 他被授予一幅卷轴，以表彰其所做出的成就。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The post office issued a series commemorating famous American entertainers. 邮局发行了一个纪念美国著名演艺人员的系列邮票。 来自互联网

3 tribute   

n.颂词，称赞，(表示敬意的)礼物；贡品

参考例句：

• She accepted their tribute graciously.她慈祥地接受了他们的致意。
• Many conquered nations had to pay tribute to the rulers of ancient Rome.许多被征服的国家必须向古罗马的统治者朝贡。

4 blues   

n.抑郁，沮丧；布鲁斯音乐

参考例句：

• She was in the back of a smoky bar singing the blues.她在烟雾弥漫的酒吧深处唱着布鲁斯歌曲。
• He was in the blues on account of his failure in business.他因事业失败而意志消沉。

5 ragtime   

n.拉格泰姆音乐

参考例句：

• The most popular music back then was called ragtime.那时最流行的音乐叫拉格泰姆音乐。
• African-American piano player Scott Joplin wrote many ragtime songs.非裔美国钢琴家ScottJoplin写了许多拉格泰姆歌曲。

6 liberator   

解放者

参考例句：

• The best integrated turf quality was recorded in Ram I、Midnight、America、Connie、Liberator, which could be adopted in Shanxi. RamI、Midnight、America、Connie、Liberator综合质量表现均衡且分值较高，是山西省推广应用的重点品种。
• It is the story of a new world that became a friend and liberator of the old. 这是一部新世界的发展史，是一部后浪推前浪的历史。

7 vulnerable   

adj.易受伤的，脆弱的，易受攻击的

参考例句：

• He volunteered to protect her as she looked so vulnerable.她看上去很脆弱，他就主动去保护她。
• The company is in an economically vulnerable position.该公司目前经济状况不稳定。

8 fort   

n.要塞，堡垒，碉堡

参考例句：

• The fort can not be defended against an air attack.这座要塞遭到空袭时无法防御。
• No one can get into the fort without a pass.没有通行证，任何人不得进入要塞。