Five Famous Symbols of American Culture

Five Famous Symbols of American Culture
The Statue of Liberty
In the mid-1870s, French artist Frederic Auguste Bartholdi was working on an enormous project called Liberty Enlightening the World, a monument celebrating US independence and the France-America alliance. At the same time, he was in love with a woman whom he had met in Canada. His mother could not approve of her son's affection for a woman she had never met, but Bartholdi went ahead and married his love in 1876.
That same year Bartholdi had assembled the statue's right arm and torch, and displayed them in Philadelphia. It is said that he had used his wife's arm as the model, but felt her face was too beautiful for the statue. He needed someone whose face represented suffering yet strength, someone more
severe than beautiful. He chose his mother.
The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on an island in Upper New York Bay in 1886. It had his mother's face and his wife's body, but Bartholdi called it "my daughter, Liberty".
Barbie
Before all the different types of Barbie dolls for sale now, there was just a single Barbie. Actually, her name was Barbara.
Barbara Handler was the daughter of Elliot and Ruth Handler, co-founders of the Mattel Toy Company. Ruth came up with the idea for Barbie after watching her daughter play with paper dolls. The three-dimensional model for Barbie was a German doll — a joke gift for adults described as having the appearance of "a woman who sold sex". Mattel refashioned the doll into a decent, all-American —although with an exaggerated breast size — version and named it after Barbara, who was then a teenager.
Since her introduction in 1959, Barbie has become the universally recognized Queen of the Dolls. Mattel says the average American girl owns ten Barbie dolls, and two are sold somewhere in the world every second.
Now more than sixty years old, Barbara — who declines interviews but is said to have loved the doll - may be the most famous unknown figure on the planet.
Barbie's boyfriend, Ken, was introduced in 1961 and named after Barbara's brother. The real Ken, who died in 1994, was disgusted by the doll that made his family famous. "I don't want my children to play with it," he said in 1993.
American Gothic
Grant Wood instantly rose to fame in 1930 with his painting American Gothic, an often-copied interpretation of the solemn pride of American farmers. The painting shows a serious-looking man and a woman standing in front of a farmhouse. He was strongly influenced by medieval artists and inspired
by the Gothic window of an old farmhouse, but the faces in his composition were what captured the world's attention.
Wood liked to paint faces he knew well. For the grave farmer he used his dentist, a sour-looking man. For the woman standing alongside him, the artist chose his sister, Nan. He stretched the models' necks a bit, but there was no doubt who posed for the portrait.
Nan later remarked that the fame she gained from American Gothic saved her from a very boring life.
The Buffalo Nickel
Today, American coins honor prominent figures of the US government — mostly famous former presidents. But the Buffalo nickel, produced from 1913 to 1938, honored a pair of connected tragedies from the settlement of the American frontier — the destruction of the buffalo herds and the American Indians.
While white people had previously been used as models for most American coins, famed artist James Earle Fraser went against tradition by using three actual American Indians as models for his creation. For the buffalo on the other side, since buffalo no longer wandered about the great grasslands, Fraser was forced to sketch an aging buffalo from New York City's Central Park Zoo. Two years later, in 1915, this animal was sold for $100 and killed for meat, a hide, and a wall decoration made from its horns.
Uncle Sam
Fourteen-year-old Sam Wilson ran away from home to join his father and older
brothers in the fight to liberate the American colonies from the British during the American Revolution. At age 23, he started a meatpacking business and earned a reputation for being honest and hard working.
During a later war in 1812, Wilson gained a position inspecting meat for US Army forces, working with a man who had signed a contract with the government to provide meat to the army. Barrels of meat supplied to the army were stamped "EA-US", identifying the company (EA) and country of origin (US). According to one story, when a government official visited the plant and asked about the letters, a creative employee told him "US" was short for "Uncle Sam" Wilson. Soon soldiers were saying all Army supplies were from "Uncle Sam".
After the war, a character called Uncle Sam began appearing in political cartoons, his form evolving from an earlier cartoon character called Brother Jonathan that was popular during the American Revolution. Uncle Sam soon replaced Brother Jonathan as American's most popular symbol. The
most enduring portrait of Uncle Sam was created by artist James Montgomery Flagg in his famous army recruiting posters of World Wars I and II. That version — a tall man with white hair and a small white beard on his chin, a dark blue coat and a tall hat with stars on it — was a self-portrait of Flagg.
Words: 900
New Words
statue n. 雕像，塑像，铸像
liberty n. 1.自由，自由权2.许可，准许3.放肆，无礼，冒昧行为
▲enlighten vt. 启发，开导
monument n. 纪念碑，纪念馆
alliance n. 同盟，联盟
approve vi. 赞成，称许
vt. 批准，同意
affection n. 1.喜爱2.爱情，爱慕之情
assemble vt. 组装，装配
v. （使）集合，（使）聚集
torch n. 1.火炬2.手电筒
bay n. （海或湖泊的）湾
exaggerate v. 夸张，夸大
breast n. 1.乳房 2.前胸，胸部
version n. 1.版本；型号2.叙述，说法
universal a. 1.全体的，一致的，普遍的2.通用的，广泛的，万能的3.宇宙的，全世界的
Universally ad. 全体地，普遍地，无例外地
sixty num. 六十，六十个
fame n. 名誉，名望
interpretation n. 1.解释，说明，描述2.（表演、演奏的）艺术处理
solemn a. 1.庄严的，肃穆的2.严肃的
▲medieval a. 中古的，中世纪的
inspire vt. 1.给……以灵感2.鼓舞，激励
grave a. 1.（指人）表情严肃的，端庄的2.严重的
n. 坟墓，墓穴
▲dentist n. 牙科医生
alongside prep. 在... ...旁边，和... ....一起
ad. 在旁边，并排地
stretch vt. 1.拉长，拉紧，伸展2.使尽全力，到（超过）... ... 的极限
vi. 扩展，延伸，延续
portrait n. 肖像，画像
◆buffalo n. 水牛，野牛
▲nickel n. （美国或加拿大的）五分镍币，五分钱
tragedy n. 1.悲剧，惨案，不幸的事件2.悲剧（艺术）
settlement n. 1.殖民，移民，拓居2.解决；协议
frontier n. 1.边境，边界，（美国靠近未开发地带的）边远地区2.前沿，新领域herd n. 兽群，牧群
vt. 使集中在一起，把……赶在一起
horn n. 1.（牛、羊、鹿等的）角2.喇叭，号角，警报器
liberate vt. 解放，释放
reputation n. 名声，名望
inspect vt. 1.检查 2.视察
contract n. 合同，契约
v. 订合同，订契约
evolve v. （使）演变，（使）演化，（使）发展
recruit vt. 招募，征兵，吸收（新成员）
n. 新兵，新成员
poster n. 招贴（画），海报，布告
beard n. 胡子，胡须
chin n. 下巴
Phrases and Expressions
work on sth. 从事于，致力于
be in love with sb. 与……恋爱，相爱
approve of sth. 赞成，称许，满意
go ahead 继续；进行
for sale 出售，待售
come up with 找到，想出（答案、解决办法等）
rise to fame 成名
name after sb. 以某人姓名命名
save sb. from 拯救，使免于
go against 与... ... 相反，违背
run away from 突然离开，逃离
Proper Names
the Statue of Liberty 自由女神像
Frederic Auguste Bartholdi 弗里德里克·奥古斯特·巴托尔迪（1834-1904，法国雕塑家）
Liberty Enlightening the World "自由照耀世界"
Philadelphia 费城（美国宾夕法尼亚州东南部港市）
New York Bay 纽约湾（靠美国纽约州东南岸和新泽西州东北岸，临哈得逊河）Barbie 芭比娃娃（一种十分畅销的金发碧眼玩具娃娃的商标名）
Barbara Handler 芭芭拉·汉德勒
Elliot Handler 艾略特·汉德勒
Ruth Handler 鲁思·汉德勒
Mattel Toy Company 马特尔玩具公司
Ken 肯（人名）
American Gothic 《美国哥特式》（格兰特·伍德的名画）
Grant Wood 格兰特·伍德
Nan 南（人名）
Indian 印第安人
James Earle Fraser 詹姆斯·厄尔·弗雷泽
Central Park Zoo （纽约）中央公园动物园
Uncle Sam 山姆大叔（指美国政府或美国人）
Sam Wilson 山姆·威尔逊
the American Revolution 美国独立战争（1775-1783）
US Army 美国陆军
Brother Jonathan 乔纳森大哥（原为18世纪英国兵对美国民兵的谑称，现可指美国或典型的美国男人
）
James Montgomery Flagg 詹姆斯·蒙哥马利·弗拉格（1877-1960，美国插图和广告画家）
自由女神像，是法国在1876年赠送给美国独立100周年的礼物。

美国的自由女神像坐落于美国纽约州纽约市附近的自由岛，是美国重要的观光景点。

自由女神像重45万磅，高46米，底座高45米，其全称为“自由女神铜像国家纪念碑”，正式名称是“照耀世界的自由女神”。

整座铜像以120钢铁为骨架，80铜片为外皮，30万只铆钉装配固定在支架上，总重量达225吨。

铜像内部的钢铁支架是由建筑师约维雷勃杜克和以建造巴黎艾菲尔铁塔闻名于世的法国工程师艾菲尔设计制作的。

自由女神像，作为美国象征，位于美国纽约市曼哈顿以西的一个小岛--自由岛上，她手持火炬，矗立在纽约港入口处，日夜守望着这座大都会，迎来了自19世纪末以来到美国定居的千百万移民。

1984年，它被列入世界遗产名录。

自由女神像是法国人民赠给美国人民的礼物，是自由的象征，女神像高46米，连同底座总高约100米，是那时世界上最高的纪念性建筑，其全称为"自由女神铜像国家纪念碑"，正式名称是"照耀世界的自由女神"，整座铜像以120吨的钢铁为骨架，80吨铜片为外皮，以30万只柳钉装配固定在支架上，总重量达225吨，铜像内部的钢铁支架是由建筑师维雷勃杜克和以建造巴黎埃菲尔铁塔闻名于世界的法国工程师埃菲尔设计制作的。

女神双唇紧闭，戴光芒四射的冠冕，身着罗马式宽松长袍，右手高擎象征自由的几米长的火炬，左手紧握一铜板，上面用罗马数字刻着《美国独立宣言》发表的日期--公元1776年7月4日，脚上散落着已断裂的锁链，右脚跟抬起作行进状，整体为挣脱枷锁、挺身前行的反抗者形象，女神气宇轩昂、神态刚毅，给人以凛然不可侵犯之感。

而其端庄丰盈的体态又似一位古希腊美女，使人感到亲切而自然。

当夜暮降临时，神像基座的灯光向上照射，将女神映照得宛若一座淡青色的玉雕。

而从女神冠冕的窗孔中射出的灯光，又好像在女神头上缀了一串闪着金黄色的亮光，给热闹而喧嚣的大都会平添了一处颇为壮观的夜景。

创造这一艺术杰作的是法国雕塑家巴特尔迪，女神的形象源于他在17岁时亲眼目睹的激动人心的一幕：1851年，路易·波拿巴发动了推翻法兰西第二共和国的政变。

一天，一群共和国党人在街头筑起防御公事，与政变者展开巷战。

暮色时分，一位忠于共和政权的年轻姑娘，手持燃烧的火炬，跃过障碍物，高呼"前进"的口号向敌人冲去，不幸中弹牺牲。

从此，这位高擎火炬的勇敢姑娘就成了雕塑家心中追求自由的象征，另外，女神像的形体以巴特尔迪后来的妻子为原型创作，面容则取自他的母亲。

1869年，巴特尔完成了自由女神像的草图设计。

1874年造像工程开工，到1884年完全造竣，前后历时十年，雕像仅食指就有2.5米长，1米宽，指甲则有75厘米厚。

1884年7月6日，自由女神像正式赠送给美国。

8月5日，神像底座奠基工程开始，基座高约27米，由花岗石混凝土制成。

基座下面是打入弗特伍德古堡中心部位6米深处的混凝土巨柱。

该古堡是一座军用炮台，呈八角星状，于1808-1811年为加强纽约港的防卫而建，1840年翻新。

1885年6月，整个塑像被分成200多块装箱，用拖轮从法国里昂运到了纽约。

1886年10月中旬，75名工人在脚手架上将30只铆钉和约100块零件，组合一处。

28日，美国总统克利夫兰亲自主持了万人参加的自由女神像的揭幕典礼。

1916年，威尔逊总统为女神像安装了昼夜不灭的照明系统并主持了竣工仪式。

巴陶第与雕塑大师罗丹同时代，在创作中非常严格地遵循古典的学院派创作法则，以创作巨大体量的雕塑见长。

对于自由女神像的设计，他投入了极大的热忱。

这一作品深受德拉克洛瓦的名画《自由领导着人民》的影响，而女神的脸则反映了作者母亲严峻的面庞和神态。

女神像腰宽10.6米，嘴宽91厘米，高擎火炬的右臂长12.8米，仅一个食指就有2.4米长。

女神像头上戴着巍峨的桂冠，身着希腊式曳地长裙，脚上有象征推翻暴政的断铁镣，左手抱着一本象征美国《独立宣言》的书板，上镌美国独立日“1786.7.4”，右手高举表示光明和希望的火炬，头冠上的七道射线象征自由遍及七大洲，庄严肃穆的表情中蕴含着广博的人类之爱。

女神像体内的螺旋形阶梯使游客能登上它的头部，这相当于攀登一幢12层高的楼房（由于过高，后来从基座开始安装了电梯方便游人上下）。

在设计过程中，考虑到远洋运输的方便，巴陶第的合作者，法国著名工程师和建筑师、埃菲尔铁塔的设计者古斯塔夫·埃菲（Gustave.Eiffle,1832-1923）制作了一个由中心支架支撑的精巧的铁框架，把仅 2.4毫米厚的塑像外层按照化整为零、分块铸造安装的方法附着在架上。

自由女神像在法国建造完成，并于1886年7月4日美国100周年国庆日时作为法国人民的礼物正式交给了美国大使。

随后，女神像被拆散装箱，用船运往纽约，再重新组装在自由岛内，由美国政府出资并委托美国建筑师理查德·莫里斯·亨特设计的巨大基座上。

1886年10月28日，纽约港内轮船汽笛长鸣，烟花绽放，在21响礼炮中美国总统格罗弗·克利夫兰亲自宣布自由女神像正式在美国落成。

1942年美国政府做出决定，将自由女神像列为美国国家级文物。

一百多年来，每当船只和飞机进出或经过纽约港时，首先目睹的就是这座雄伟壮观的雕像。

如今，自由女神像已经成为了纽约乃至整个美国的象征。

在它落成100周年时，美国政府专门为它举办了盛大的庆典。