TEDxTaipei
Michelle Kuo: The healing power of reading
郭怡慧: 读书的治愈力
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阅读和写作是勇气的表现，它使我们与彼此和自我走得更近。演讲者郭怡慧（Michelle Kuo）分享了她在密西西比三角洲教学生阅读技巧时所发现的书面文字的的桥梁作用，以及该作用的局限性。
Michelle Kuo - Teacher, writer, lawyer
Michelle Kuo believes in the power of reading to connect us with one another, creating a shared universe. Full bio
Michelle Kuo believes in the power of reading to connect us with one another, creating a shared universe. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I want to talk today
about how reading can change our lives
about how reading can change our lives
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今天，我想谈谈读书
如何改变我们的人生，
如何改变我们的人生，
以及这种改变的局限性。
00:18
and about the limits of that change.
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00:21
I want to talk to you about how reading
can give us a shareable world
can give us a shareable world
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我想谈谈读书如何
给了我们一个
给了我们一个
人际关系的共享世界。
00:26
of powerful human connection.
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我也想谈谈这种关系
为何总是偏颇的，
为何总是偏颇的，
00:29
But also about how that connection
is always partial.
is always partial.
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为何读书终究是一件
孤独、奇怪的事。
孤独、奇怪的事。
00:33
How reading is ultimately
a lonely, idiosyncratic undertaking.
a lonely, idiosyncratic undertaking.
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00:39
The writer who changed my life
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有一位作家改变了我的人生，
伟大的非裔美国小说家
詹姆斯·鲍德温。
詹姆斯·鲍德温。
00:42
was the great African American
novelist James Baldwin.
novelist James Baldwin.
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00:46
When I was growing up
in Western Michigan in the 1980s,
in Western Michigan in the 1980s,
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20世纪80年代，
我在密歇根州西部长大，
我在密歇根州西部长大，
当时的美国华裔作家中
对社会变革感兴趣的不多。
对社会变革感兴趣的不多。
00:50
there weren't many Asian American writers
interested in social change.
interested in social change.
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所以我求教于詹姆斯·鲍德温，
00:55
And so I think I turned to James Baldwin
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我想这是填补这一空白，
加强种族意识的方式。
加强种族意识的方式。
00:58
as a way to fill this void,
as a way to feel racially conscious.
as a way to feel racially conscious.
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01:03
But perhaps because I knew
I wasn't myself African American,
I wasn't myself African American,
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但也许是因为知道
自己不是非裔美国人，
自己不是非裔美国人，
01:07
I also felt challenged
and indicted by his words.
and indicted by his words.
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我从他的言论中
感到了挑战和谴责，
感到了挑战和谴责，
尤其是这些话：
01:12
Especially these words:
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【自由派会表现出
所有合宜的态度——
所有合宜的态度——
01:15
"There are liberals
who have all the proper attitudes,
who have all the proper attitudes,
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但他们没有真正的信念。
01:19
but no real convictions.
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在紧急时刻，你希望他们履行诺言，
01:22
When the chips are down
and you somehow expect them to deliver,
and you somehow expect them to deliver,
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他们却突然不见了人影。】
01:26
they are somehow not there."
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他们出于某种原因不见了踪影。
01:28
They are somehow not there.
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01:31
I took those words very literally.
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我是从字面上理解这些话的，
01:33
Where should I put myself?
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我应该去哪里？
我去了密西西比三角洲，
01:36
I went to the Mississippi Delta,
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美国最贫穷的地区之一，
01:38
one of the poorest regions
in the United States.
in the United States.
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01:41
This is a place shaped
by a powerful history.
by a powerful history.
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这个地方深受一段
强有力的历史的影响。
强有力的历史的影响。
01:44
In the 1960s, African Americans
risked their lives to fight for education,
risked their lives to fight for education,
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20世纪60年代，
黑人冒着生命危险
黑人冒着生命危险
争取受教育的机会和投票权。
01:49
to fight for the right to vote.
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01:52
I wanted to be a part of that change,
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我希望加入这一变革，
帮助青少年从中学毕业，
并继续进入大学深造。
并继续进入大学深造。
01:55
to help young teenagers graduate
and go to college.
and go to college.
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02:00
When I got to the Mississippi Delta,
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我到密西西比三角洲时，
这个地方仍然很贫穷，
02:03
it was a place that was still poor,
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02:05
still segregated,
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仍实行种族隔离，
极其需要变革。
02:07
still dramatically in need of change.
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02:10
My school, where I was placed,
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我所任教的学校
02:14
had no library, no guidance counselor,
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没有图书馆，也没有辅导员，
02:18
but it did have a police officer.
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但却有一名警察。
02:21
Half the teachers were substitutes
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有一半的老师是代课老师，
02:24
and when students got into fights,
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学生打架时，
学校就把他们送到
当地的县监狱。
当地的县监狱。
02:26
the school would send them
to the local county jail.
to the local county jail.
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就是在这所学校，
我认识了帕特里克，
我认识了帕特里克，
02:32
This is the school where I met Patrick.
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他十五岁，留过两次级，
正在上八年级。
正在上八年级。
02:35
He was 15 and held back twice,
he was in the eighth grade.
he was in the eighth grade.
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02:40
He was quiet, introspective,
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他很安静、内向，
02:42
like he was always in deep thought.
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好像总在沉思。
02:45
And he hated seeing other people fight.
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他很讨厌看到别人打架。
02:49
I saw him once jump between two girls
when they got into a fight
when they got into a fight
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有一次，我看见他跳到
两个打架的女孩之间劝架，
两个打架的女孩之间劝架，
结果被撞倒在地上。
02:53
and he got himself knocked to the ground.
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02:57
Patrick had just one problem.
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帕特里克只有一个问题，
02:59
He wouldn't come to school.
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他不愿意来上学。
03:03
He said that sometimes
school was just too depressing
school was just too depressing
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他说，有时候学校
太令人沮丧了，
太令人沮丧了，
03:05
because people were always fighting
and teachers were quitting.
and teachers were quitting.
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因为总有人打架，
有老师辞职。
有老师辞职。
03:10
And also, his mother worked two jobs
and was just too tired to make him come.
and was just too tired to make him come.
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他妈妈打两份工，
没精力敦促他去上学。
没精力敦促他去上学。
所以我把叫他来上学
这事给揽了过来，
这事给揽了过来，
03:16
So I made it my job
to get him to come to school.
to get him to come to school.
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因为我那时22岁，非常乐观。
03:19
And because I was crazy and 22
and zealously optimistic,
and zealously optimistic,
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我的办法就是到他家里去，
03:23
my strategy was
just to show up at his house
just to show up at his house
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跟他说：“嘿，
你为什么不来上学？”
你为什么不来上学？”
03:25
and say, "Hey, why don't you
come to school?"
come to school?"
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03:28
And this strategy actually worked,
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这招还真管用。
他开始每天都来上学，
03:30
he started to come to school every day.
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03:32
And he started to flourish in my class.
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并且在我的班上开始有进步了，
03:35
He was writing poetry,
he was reading books.
he was reading books.
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他写诗、看书，
03:38
He was coming to school every day.
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每天都来上学。
03:43
Around the same time
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在知道了该如何
跟帕特里克建立良好关系的同时，
03:44
that I had figured out
how to connect to Patrick,
how to connect to Patrick,
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我被哈佛法学院录取了。
03:47
I got into law school at Harvard.
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03:51
I once again faced this question,
where should I put myself,
where should I put myself,
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要再次面对同一个问题：
我该去哪里？
我该去哪里？
我该在哪落脚？
03:54
where do I put my body?
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我心想，
03:57
And I thought to myself
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04:00
that the Mississippi Delta
was a place where people with money,
was a place where people with money,
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密西西比三角洲是有钱的人和
有机会的人
04:03
people with opportunity,
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都会离开的地方，
04:05
those people leave.
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04:07
And the people who stay behind
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而留下来的
04:09
are the people who don't have
the chance to leave.
the chance to leave.
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都是没有机会离开的人。
04:12
I didn't want to be a person who left.
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我不想成为离开的人，
我想成为留下的人。
04:15
I wanted to be a person who stayed.
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但另一方面，
我感到孤独又疲惫。
我感到孤独又疲惫。
04:18
On the other hand, I was lonely and tired.
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所以我说服自己，
如果我取得法学学位，
如果我取得法学学位，
04:21
And so I convinced myself
that I could do more change
that I could do more change
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04:26
on a larger scale if I had
a prestigious law degree.
a prestigious law degree.
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就可以在更大的范围内
做更多的改变。
做更多的改变。
于是我离开了。
04:31
So I left.
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04:34
Three years later,
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三年后，
我即将从法学院毕业时，
04:36
when I was about
to graduate from law school,
to graduate from law school,
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我的朋友打电话告诉我，
04:38
my friend called me
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帕特里克跟人打架
并杀了一个人。
并杀了一个人。
04:40
and told me that Patrick
had got into a fight and killed someone.
had got into a fight and killed someone.
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我很震惊，
04:47
I was devastated.
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一方面我不相信，
04:49
Part of me didn't believe it,
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04:51
but part of me also knew that it was true.
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但另一方面我也知道这是真的。
我乘飞机南下去看帕特里克，
04:55
I flew down to see Patrick.
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04:58
I visited him in jail.
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我到监狱里去探望他。
05:02
And he told me that it was true.
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他告诉我这是真的，
他的确杀了人，
05:06
That he had killed someone.
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但他不想多谈这件事。
05:08
And he didn't want to talk more about it.
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05:11
I asked him what had happened with school
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我问他学校怎么了，
他说当年我走后，他就辍学了。
05:13
and he said that he had dropped out
the year after I left.
the year after I left.
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05:18
And then he wanted
to tell me something else.
to tell me something else.
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然后他想告诉我一些别的事情，
他低着头说，他有了一个
05:20
He looked down and he said
that he had had a baby daughter
that he had had a baby daughter
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刚出生的女儿。
05:24
who was just born.
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他觉得作为父亲让女儿失望了。
05:25
And he felt like he had let her down.
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05:30
That was it, our conversation
was rushed and awkward.
was rushed and awkward.
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我们的谈话就这样结束了，
非常匆忙、尴尬。
非常匆忙、尴尬。
05:35
When I stepped outside the jail,
a voice inside me said,
a voice inside me said,
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我走出监狱时，
内心里有个声音说：
内心里有个声音说：
05:40
"Come back.
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“回来吧。
如果你现在不回来，
你就永远不会回来了”。
你就永远不会回来了”。
05:41
If you don't come back now,
you'll never come back."
you'll never come back."
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05:48
So I graduated from law school
and I went back.
and I went back.
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于是，从法学院毕业后，
我又回去了。
我又回去了。
我回去看帕特里克，
05:52
I went back to see Patrick,
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我回去看我能否
帮他处理他的案件。
帮他处理他的案件。
05:54
I went back to see if I could help him
with his legal case.
with his legal case.
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05:58
And this time,
when I saw him a second time,
when I saw him a second time,
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这次我见到他时，
06:02
I thought I had this great idea, I said,
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我想到了一个好主意，说：
“嘿，帕特里克，
给你女儿写封信吧，
给你女儿写封信吧，
06:04
"Hey, Patrick, why don't you
write a letter to your daughter,
write a letter to your daughter,
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06:08
so that you can keep her on your mind?"
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这样你就可以记着她了。”
我递给他一支笔和一张纸，
06:12
And I handed him a pen
and a piece of paper,
and a piece of paper,
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06:15
and he started to write.
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于是他开始写信了。
06:18
But when I saw the paper
that he handed back to me,
that he handed back to me,
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但是当我看到他递给我的信时，
我很吃惊。
06:21
I was shocked.
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06:25
I didn't recognize his handwriting,
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我辨认不出他的笔迹，
他犯了些简单的拼写错误。
06:27
he had made simple spelling mistakes.
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06:31
And I thought to myself that as a teacher,
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作为一名老师，
我知道学生可以在很短的时间内
06:33
I knew that a student
could dramatically improve
could dramatically improve
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取得很大进步，
06:37
in a very quick amount of time,
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但我从未想过
学生会大退步。
学生会大退步。
06:40
but I never thought that a student
could dramatically regress.
could dramatically regress.
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06:46
What even pained me more,
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更让我痛心的是，
他写给女儿的信的内容。
06:48
was seeing what he had written
to his daughter.
to his daughter.
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他写道：
06:51
He had written,
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“我为我犯的错和
不能陪伴你感到抱歉。”
不能陪伴你感到抱歉。”
06:52
"I'm sorry for my mistakes,
I'm sorry for not being there for you."
I'm sorry for not being there for you."
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06:58
And this was all he felt
he had to say to her.
he had to say to her.
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这就是他觉得他该对
女儿说的所有话了。
女儿说的所有话了。
07:02
And I asked myself how can I convince him
that he has more to say,
that he has more to say,
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我问自己，怎么能说服他
他还有更多话可以说，
他还有更多话可以说，
他在有些方面是不需要道歉的。
07:06
parts of himself that
he doesn't need to apologize for.
he doesn't need to apologize for.
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07:10
I wanted him to feel
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我想让他觉得
他有值得与女儿分享的东西。
07:12
that he had something worthwhile
to share with his daughter.
to share with his daughter.
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07:17
For every day the next seven months,
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在接下来的7个月里，
我每天都去看他，给他带些书，
07:21
I visited him and brought books.
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我的购物袋成了
一个小图书馆。
一个小图书馆。
07:23
My tote bag became a little library.
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07:27
I brought James Baldwin,
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我带了詹姆斯·鲍德温，
我带了沃尔特·惠特曼，
C.S.刘易斯的书。
C.S.刘易斯的书。
07:29
I brought Walt Whitman, C.S. Lewis.
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07:34
I brought guidebooks to trees, to birds,
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我带上了树木指南、鸟类指南，
字典成了他最喜欢的书。
07:39
and what would become
his favorite book, the dictionary.
his favorite book, the dictionary.
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07:43
On some days,
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有时候，
我们俩会静静地
坐下几个小时看书。
坐下几个小时看书。
07:45
we would sit for hours in silence,
both of us reading.
both of us reading.
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07:50
And on other days,
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还有的时候，
我们会一起看书，一起读诗歌。
07:51
we would read together,
we would read poetry.
we would read poetry.
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我们从三行俳句诗开始，
读了上百首三行俳句诗，
读了上百首三行俳句诗，
07:55
We started by reading haikus,
hundreds of haikus,
hundreds of haikus,
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这些诗看似简单但都是杰作。
07:59
a deceptively simple masterpiece.
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我会跟他说：“跟我分享一下
你最喜欢的诗句吧。”
你最喜欢的诗句吧。”
08:02
And I would ask him,
"Share with me your favorite haikus."
"Share with me your favorite haikus."
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有些很有趣。
08:05
And some of them are quite funny.
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这是小林一茶的诗：
08:08
So there's this by Issa:
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“蜘蛛别慌，
我打扫房子，很随意。“
我打扫房子，很随意。“
08:10
"Don't worry, spiders,
I keep house casually."
I keep house casually."
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08:14
And this: "Napped half the day,
no one punished me!"
no one punished me!"
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还有这首：“睡了大半天，
却没人来处罚我！”
却没人来处罚我！”
08:20
And this gorgeous one, which is
about the first day of snow falling,
about the first day of snow falling,
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而这首优美的诗，
描写的是初雪的场景：
描写的是初雪的场景：
08:25
"Deer licking first frost
from each other's coats."
from each other's coats."
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“小鹿们相互舔舐
毛绒上的初霜。“
毛绒上的初霜。“
08:31
There's something mysterious and gorgeous
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就像诗歌应体现的意境那样，
有些诗既神秘又华丽。
08:34
just about the way a poem looks.
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留白与文字本身同样重要。
08:36
The empty space is as important
as the words themselves.
as the words themselves.
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08:43
We read this poem by W.S. Merwin,
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我们读了W.S.梅尔文
写的一首诗，
写的一首诗，
这是他看到妻子
在花园里劳作后写的，
在花园里劳作后写的，
08:45
which he wrote after he saw
his wife working in the garden
his wife working in the garden
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他意识到他们将
一起度过余生。
一起度过余生。
08:50
and realized that they would spend
the rest of their lives together.
the rest of their lives together.
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08:55
"Let me imagine that we will come again
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“让我想象我们随心所欲，
再次归来，那会是个春天，
08:57
when we want to and it will be spring
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我们依然年轻如故，
09:00
We will be no older than we ever were
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被磨掉的悲伤仿如
晓云将会渐散，
晓云将会渐散，
09:04
The worn griefs will have eased
like the early cloud
like the early cloud
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晨曦徐徐破晓而出。“
09:08
through which morning
slowly comes to itself"
slowly comes to itself"
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09:11
I asked Patrick what his favorite
line was, and he said,
line was, and he said,
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我问帕特里克
他最喜欢哪一句，
他最喜欢哪一句，
09:15
"We will be no older than we ever were."
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他说，“我们依然年轻如故。”
09:20
He said it reminded him
of a place where time just stops,
of a place where time just stops,
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他说这让他想起一个地方，
在那里，时间停下脚步，
在那里，时间停下脚步，
时间不再重要。
09:24
where time doesn't matter anymore.
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09:27
And I asked him
if he had a place like that,
if he had a place like that,
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我问他有没有
这样一个地方，
这样一个地方，
那里时间永恒不变。
09:29
where time lasts forever.
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他答道：“我的母亲。”
09:32
And he said, "My mother."
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09:35
When you read a poem
alongside someone else,
alongside someone else,
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当你和别人一起读一首诗时，
09:40
the poem changes in meaning.
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这首诗的意境会发生变化，
09:43
Because it becomes personal
to that person, becomes personal to you.
to that person, becomes personal to you.
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因为它分别成了你
和那个人的诗。
和那个人的诗。
09:49
We then read books, we read so many books,
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然后我们读书，
我们看读了很多书，
我们看读了很多书，
我们读了弗雷德里克·
道格拉斯的回忆录，
道格拉斯的回忆录，
09:52
we read the memoir of Frederick Douglass,
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09:55
an American slave who taught
himself to read and write
himself to read and write
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他是个美国奴隶，
自学读书写作，
自学读书写作，
因为有文化，
他得到了自由。
他得到了自由。
09:59
and who escaped to freedom
because of his literacy.
because of his literacy.
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10:03
I had grown up thinking
of Frederick Douglass as a hero
of Frederick Douglass as a hero
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我从小到大视弗雷德里克·
道格拉斯为英雄，
道格拉斯为英雄，
觉得他的故事
励志且充满希望。
励志且充满希望。
10:06
and I thought of this story
as one of uplift and hope.
as one of uplift and hope.
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10:10
But this book put Patrick
in a kind of panic.
in a kind of panic.
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但这本书却让
帕特里克陷入恐慌。
帕特里克陷入恐慌。
10:14
He fixated on a story Douglass told
of how, over Christmas,
of how, over Christmas,
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他着迷于道格拉斯
讲述的一个故事：
讲述的一个故事：
圣诞节期间，主人会
给奴隶杜松子酒喝，
给奴隶杜松子酒喝，
10:19
masters give slaves gin
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以此向他们证明
他们掌控不了自由，
他们掌控不了自由，
10:23
as a way to prove to them
that they can't handle freedom.
that they can't handle freedom.
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因为他们会醉得
在田野上跌跌撞撞。
在田野上跌跌撞撞。
10:26
Because slaves would be
stumbling on the fields.
stumbling on the fields.
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10:31
Patrick said he related to this.
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帕特里克说
他对此很有同感，
他对此很有同感，
10:34
He said that there are people in jail
who, like slaves,
who, like slaves,
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他说，监狱里有些人
就像奴隶一样，
就像奴隶一样，
不愿去想他们的处境，
10:37
don't want to think about their condition,
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因为这太痛苦了，
10:40
because it's too painful.
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思考过去太痛苦，
10:41
Too painful to think about the past,
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思考长远的未来也太痛苦。
10:44
too painful to think
about how far we have to go.
about how far we have to go.
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10:48
His favorite line was this line:
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他最喜欢的是这段话：
10:51
"Anything, no matter what,
to get rid of thinking!
to get rid of thinking!
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“不管怎样，
都要摆脱思考！
都要摆脱思考！
没完没了地想着我的处境
让我备感煎熬。”
让我备感煎熬。”
10:55
It was this everlasting thinking
of my condition that tormented me."
of my condition that tormented me."
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11:01
Patrick said that Douglass was brave
to write, to keep thinking.
to write, to keep thinking.
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帕特里克说道格拉斯
勇于去写，不断思考。
勇于去写，不断思考。
11:07
But Patrick would never know
how much he seemed like Douglass to me.
how much he seemed like Douglass to me.
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但帕特里克不知道，
我觉得他很像道格拉斯，
我觉得他很像道格拉斯，
虽然阅读让他感到恐慌，
但是他却坚持看书。
但是他却坚持看书。
11:12
How he kept reading,
even though it put him in a panic.
even though it put him in a panic.
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11:17
He finished the book before I did,
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他在没有灯光的
水泥楼梯间看书，
水泥楼梯间看书，
比我先读完了一本书。
11:20
reading it in a concrete
stairway with no light.
stairway with no light.
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然后我们接着读
我最喜欢的书之一，
我最喜欢的书之一，
11:25
And then we went on
to read one of my favorite books,
to read one of my favorite books,
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玛里琳·鲁宾逊的《基列家书》，
11:28
Marilynne Robinson's "Gilead,"
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这是父亲写给儿子的
一封很长的家信。
一封很长的家信。
11:30
which is an extended letter
from a father to his son.
from a father to his son.
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他喜欢这段话：
11:34
He loved this line:
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11:37
"I'm writing this in part to tell you
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“我写这封信，
部分原因是要告诉你，
部分原因是要告诉你，
如果你想知道你一生中
都做了些什么……
都做了些什么……
11:39
that if you ever wonder
what you've done in your life ...
what you've done in your life ...
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你是上帝赐予我的恩典，
11:42
you have been God's grace to me,
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一个奇迹，甚至超越奇迹。”
11:44
a miracle, something more than a miracle."
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11:49
Something about this language,
its love, its longing, its voice,
its love, its longing, its voice,
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这本书所用的语言，
表达的爱、渴望、呼声，
表达的爱、渴望、呼声，
重新点燃了帕特里克
写作的欲望。
写作的欲望。
11:55
rekindled Patrick's desire to write.
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他在笔记本上
写满了给女儿的信，
写满了给女儿的信，
11:58
And he would fill notebooks upon notebooks
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一本接着一本。
12:01
with letters to his daughter.
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12:04
In these beautiful, intricate letters,
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在这些美好、文字细腻的信中，
他想象自己和女儿
在密西西比河上划独木舟。
在密西西比河上划独木舟。
12:07
he would imagine him and his daughter
going canoeing down the Mississippi river.
going canoeing down the Mississippi river.
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他想象他们找到了
12:13
He would imagine them
finding a mountain stream
finding a mountain stream
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一条清澈的山间小溪。
12:16
with perfectly clear water.
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12:20
As I watched Patrick write,
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当我看着帕特里克写信，
12:23
I thought to myself,
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我心想，
12:25
and I now ask all of you,
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现在也要问一下大家，
有多少人给觉得
对不起的人写过信？
对不起的人写过信？
12:27
how many of you have written a letter
to somebody you feel you have let down?
to somebody you feel you have let down?
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12:34
It is just much easier
to put those people out of your mind.
to put those people out of your mind.
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不把这些人放在心上更容易。
但帕特里克每天
都去面对他的女儿，
都去面对他的女儿，
12:40
But Patrick showed up every day,
facing his daughter,
facing his daughter,
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全神贯注、
一个字一个字地写，
一个字一个字地写，
12:44
holding himself accountable to her,
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想要对她负责。
12:47
word by word with intense concentration.
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12:54
I wanted in my own life
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我也想在自己的人生中，
12:58
to put myself at risk in that way.
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以这种方式冒险，
13:01
Because that risk reveals
the strength of one's heart.
the strength of one's heart.
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因为这种冒险表现出了
一个人内心的强大。
一个人内心的强大。
13:08
Let me take a step back
and just ask an uncomfortable question.
and just ask an uncomfortable question.
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退一步来说，
我想扪心自问，
我想扪心自问，
我有什么资格讲
帕特里克的故事？
帕特里克的故事？
13:12
Who am I to tell this story,
as in this Patrick story?
as in this Patrick story?
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13:18
Patrick's the one who lived with this pain
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帕特里克是那个
在苦海中求生的人，
在苦海中求生的人，
而我这辈子
没有一天挨过饿。
没有一天挨过饿。
13:21
and I have never been hungry
a day in my life.
a day in my life.
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13:27
I thought about this question a lot,
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我经常想这个问题，
但是我想说的是，
这故事不仅跟帕特里克有关，
这故事不仅跟帕特里克有关，
13:29
but what I want to say is that this story
is not just about Patrick.
is not just about Patrick.
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它也跟我们有关，
13:32
It's about us,
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它讲述着人与人之间的不平等，
13:34
it's about the inequality between us.
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13:37
The world of plenty
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它讲述着
13:40
that Patrick and his parents
and his grandparents
and his grandparents
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帕特里克以及
他的父母和祖父母
他的父母和祖父母
被这个富足的世界
拒之门外。
拒之门外。
13:44
have been shut out of.
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在这个故事里，
我代表了那个富足的世界。
我代表了那个富足的世界。
13:45
In this story, I represent
that world of plenty.
that world of plenty.
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13:49
And in telling this story,
I didn't want to hide myself.
I didn't want to hide myself.
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我讲这个故事时，
并不想隐瞒自己，
并不想隐瞒自己，
隐瞒我所拥有的权力。
13:53
Hide the power that I do have.
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13:57
In telling this story,
I wanted to expose that power
I wanted to expose that power
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我讲这个故事，
是想显露这种权力，
是想显露这种权力，
然后问这个问题：
14:00
and then to ask,
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我们如何能缩短
我们之间的距离？
我们之间的距离？
14:03
how do we diminish
the distance between us?
the distance between us?
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读书是缩短这种距离的一种方法，
14:08
Reading is one way to close that distance.
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它为我们提供了一个可以
14:11
It gives us a quiet universe
that we can share together,
that we can share together,
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平等分享的宁静世界。
14:16
that we can share in equally.
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14:20
You're probably wondering now
what happened to Patrick.
what happened to Patrick.
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你现在可能会在想，
帕特里克怎么样了。
帕特里克怎么样了。
读书是否改变了他的命运？
14:23
Did reading save his life?
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14:26
It did and it didn't.
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是的，但也不完全是。
14:29
When Patrick got out of prison,
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帕特里克出狱时，
14:32
his journey was excruciating.
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他的人生之旅极其艰辛，
因为他有案底，
雇主拒绝聘用他，
雇主拒绝聘用他，
14:36
Employers turned him away
because of his record,
because of his record,
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他母亲，也是他最好的朋友，
14:39
his best friend, his mother,
died at age 43
died at age 43
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43岁时因心脏病和
糖尿病去世。
糖尿病去世。
14:42
from heart disease and diabetes.
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14:45
He's been homeless, he's been hungry.
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他一直无家可归，
忍饥挨饿。
忍饥挨饿。
14:50
So people say a lot of things
about reading that feel exaggerated to me.
about reading that feel exaggerated to me.
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所以我觉得，很多对
读书的评论都是夸大其词。
读书的评论都是夸大其词。
14:55
Being literate didn't stop him
form being discriminated against.
form being discriminated against.
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帕特里克并未因读书识字
而免遭歧视，
而免遭歧视，
14:59
It didn't stop his mother from dying.
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也没能使他母亲免于病逝。
15:03
So what can reading do?
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那么读书到底有什么用呢？
15:07
I have a few answers to end with today.
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我想用几个答案
来结束今天的演讲。
来结束今天的演讲。
15:12
Reading charged his inner life
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读书使他的内心世界
15:17
with mystery, with imagination,
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充满神秘、想象力
和美好的事物，
15:20
with beauty.
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15:22
Reading gave him images that gave him joy:
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读书给予他欢乐的画面：
15:27
mountain, ocean, deer, frost.
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深山、大海、小鹿、秋霜。
15:33
Words that taste of a free, natural world.
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给予他体验自由自在的
大自然的文字，
大自然的文字，
15:39
Reading gave him a language
for what he had lost.
for what he had lost.
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读书给予他倾述
所失去的东西的语言。
所失去的东西的语言。
诗人德里克·沃尔科特写的
那首诗是多珍贵啊！
那首诗是多珍贵啊！
15:43
How precious are these lines
from the poet Derek Walcott?
from the poet Derek Walcott?
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帕特里克记住了它：
15:47
Patrick memorized this poem.
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“我所拥有的日子，
15:50
"Days that I have held,
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我所失去的日子，
15:52
days that I have lost,
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那些像长大的女儿一样，
15:54
days that outgrow, like daughters,
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离开我怀抱的日子。”
15:57
my harboring arms."
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16:00
Reading taught him his own courage.
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读书赋予了他勇气。
我记得他一直在看
道格拉斯的书，
道格拉斯的书，
16:03
Remember that he kept reading
Frederick Douglass,
Frederick Douglass,
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尽管这令他很痛苦。
16:07
even though it was painful.
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16:09
He kept being conscious,
even though being conscious hurts.
even though being conscious hurts.
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他一直保持清醒，
即使这清醒让人心痛。
即使这清醒让人心痛。
16:14
Reading is a form of thinking,
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读书是一种思维方式，
这就是为什么读书很难——
因为我们必须思考。
因为我们必须思考。
16:16
that's why it's difficult to read
because we have to think.
because we have to think.
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16:20
And Patrick chose to think,
rather than to not think.
rather than to not think.
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帕特里克选择思考，
而不是拒绝思考。
而不是拒绝思考。
16:28
And last, reading gave him a language
to speak to his daughter.
to speak to his daughter.
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最后，读书给了他
与女儿交谈的语言，
与女儿交谈的语言，
16:33
Reading inspired him to want to write.
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读书激发了他写作的欲望，
16:36
The link between reading
and writing is so powerful.
and writing is so powerful.
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阅读与写作之间的联系
是如此的强大。
是如此的强大。
在我们开始读书时，
16:40
When we begin to read,
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我们就开始找到了表达情感的文字。
16:42
we begin to find the words.
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他找到了形容父女俩
共处情景的文字，
共处情景的文字，
16:45
And he found the words
to imagine the two of them together.
to imagine the two of them together.
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他找到了合适的文字
16:50
He found the words
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16:53
to tell her how much he loved her.
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来表达他对女儿深沉的爱。
16:58
Reading also changed
our relationship with each other.
our relationship with each other.
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读书也改变了
人与人之间的关系，
人与人之间的关系，
17:02
It gave us an occasion for intimacy,
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它给了我们
彼此亲近的机会，
彼此亲近的机会，
跳出我们的思维框架。
17:04
to see beyond our points of view.
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17:07
And reading took an unequal relationship
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读书消除了我们
不平等的关系，
不平等的关系，
给了我们短暂的平等。
17:09
and gave us a momentary equality.
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17:14
When you meet somebody as a reader,
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当我们以读者的身份
遇见一个人时，
遇见一个人时，
17:17
you meet him for the first time,
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我们初次
带着新鲜感见到这个人，
17:19
newly, freshly.
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17:21
There is no way you can know
what his favorite line will be.
what his favorite line will be.
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我们不可能知道
他喜欢哪些文字，
他喜欢哪些文字，
17:26
What memories and private griefs he has.
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有什么往事，
心里有什么悲伤。
心里有什么悲伤。
你面对的是他内心
最深处的秘密，
最深处的秘密，
17:30
And you face the ultimate privacy
of his inner life.
of his inner life.
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17:35
And then you start to wonder,
"Well, what is my inner life made of?
"Well, what is my inner life made of?
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然后你开始想知道：
那我的内心世界里有什么？
那我的内心世界里有什么？
我有什么值得与别人分享的？
17:39
What do I have that's worthwhile
to share with another?"
to share with another?"
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17:45
I want to close
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在帕特里克给女儿的信中，
17:48
on some of my favorite lines
from Patrick's letters to his daughter.
from Patrick's letters to his daughter.
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有些话我特别喜欢，
我想用这些话来结束演讲：
我想用这些话来结束演讲：
17:53
"The river is shadowy in some places
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“这条河的某些地方
被阴影挡住，
被阴影挡住，
但光线透过树缝照了进来……
17:56
but the light shines
through the cracks of trees ...
through the cracks of trees ...
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一些树枝上挂满了桑葚果，
17:59
On some branches
hang plenty of mulberries.
hang plenty of mulberries.
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18:03
You stretch your arm
straight out to grab some."
straight out to grab some."
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你伸长手臂去采摘一些。”
18:08
And this lovely letter, where he writes,
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还有这封很优美的信，
他在信中写道：
他在信中写道：
“闭上你的双眼，
倾听这些文字发出的声音，
倾听这些文字发出的声音，
18:10
"Close your eyes and listen
to the sounds of the words.
to the sounds of the words.
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我的心牢记这首诗，
18:14
I know this poem by heart
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我想让你也听到它。”
18:17
and I would like you to know it, too."
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18:21
Thank you so much everyone.
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谢谢大家。
（掌声）
18:23
(Applause)
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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Michelle Kuo - Teacher, writer, lawyerMichelle Kuo believes in the power of reading to connect us with one another, creating a shared universe.
Why you should listen
Michelle Kuo is a teacher, lawyer, writer and passionate advocate of prison education. She has taught English at an alternative school for kids who were expelled from other schools in rural Arkansas, located in the Mississippi Delta. While at Harvard Law School, she received the National Clinical Association's award for her advocacy of children with special needs. Later, as a lawyer for undocumented immigrants in Oakland, Kuo helped tenants facing evictions, workers stiffed out of their wages and families facing deportation. She has also volunteered at a detention center in south Texas, helping families apply for asylum, and taught courses at San Quentin Prison. Currently, she teaches in the History, Law, and Society program at the American University of Paris, where she works to inspire students on issues of migrant justice and criminal justice. This fall, she is helping to start a prison education program in France.
In 2017, Kuo released Reading with Patrick, a memoir of teaching reading in a rural county jail in Arkansas. A runner-up for the Goddard Riverside Social Justice Prize and Dayton Literary Peace Prize, the book explores questions of what it is we owe each other and how starkly economic and racial inequality determine our life outcomes.
(Photo: Jasmine Cowen)
Michelle Kuo | Speaker | TED.com