现代大学英语精读6（第二版）BK6教师用书Unit10.pdfVIP

Unit 10 Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream Barack Obama Structure of the Text Part I (Paras. 1-7) It must be remembered that Obama wrote this book shortly before he declared his intention to run for the White House; it was obviously meant to serve as a public statement of his political platform. Obama must have been well aware that there were formidable obstacles on his road to becoming President. Not only was he an African-American—even the fact of his being American-born was challenged by his opponents. In some quarters, there was suspicion that he was actually a black Muslin. Therefore, for people to accept him as their President, it was a matter of vital importance for Obama to prove his deep understanding of and great faith in the American heritage. With this in mind, it is clear that he could not have chosen a better way to start his essay than by quoting the first paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, generally regarded as the nation’s most important political document. Part II (Paras. 8-12) In this section, Obama points out that Americans are not just individualistic: they also have communal values, which they treasure as well. These two differing sets of values are always in tension, but America has been lucky that the tension has not been as serious as in other countries. When their values collide, Americans have always tried to use these countervailing values to hold excesses in check. Part III (Paras. 13-24) In this section, Obama suggests that sometimes finding the right balance is easy, but sometimes it can be difficult. He explains the reasons and discusses how to solve the problem in the face of competing values. Part IV (Paras. 25-33) In this section, Obama presents his position