TEDxTaipei
Michelle Kuo: The healing power of reading
郭怡慧: 閱讀帶給我們的正能量
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閱讀和寫作可以是一種表現勇氣的方式，進而拉近我們人際的距離。在這個影片中，作家郭怡慧分享她如何在密西西比三角洲教導學生閱讀技巧當中，發現文字的力量－－建立人際的橋樑，以及這種力量的侷限。
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.
我今天想要談談，
閱讀如何改變我們的人生，
閱讀如何改變我們的人生，
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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和這種改變的極限。
00:18
and about the limits of that change.
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我想聊聊，閱讀如何以
富有人性的強力連結，
富有人性的強力連結，
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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00:26
of powerful human connection.
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建立一個眾人能分享的世界，
00:29
But also about how that connection
is always partial.
is always partial.
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也想聊聊為何這種連結
常常是不完整的。
常常是不完整的。
00:33
How reading is ultimately
a lonely, idiosyncratic undertaking.
a lonely, idiosyncratic undertaking.
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為何閱讀是件非常孤獨的事，
人人嘗到的滋味都不同。
人人嘗到的滋味都不同。
改變我人生的作家，
00:39
The writer who changed my life
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00:42
was the great African American
novelist James Baldwin.
novelist James Baldwin.
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是偉大的非裔美國小說家
詹姆斯·鮑德溫。
詹姆斯·鮑德溫。
00:46
When I was growing up
in Western Michigan in the 1980s,
in Western Michigan in the 1980s,
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我是在 1980 年代的密西根西部長大，
00:50
there weren't many Asian American writers
interested in social change.
interested in social change.
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當時並沒有很多關注
社會改革的亞裔美國作家。
社會改革的亞裔美國作家。
00:55
And so I think I turned to James Baldwin
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所以我才轉向詹姆斯·鮑德溫，
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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來填補這個空缺，
來感受自己的種族意識。
來感受自己的種族意識。
01:03
But perhaps because I knew
I wasn't myself African American,
I wasn't myself African American,
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不過因為我知道
我並不是非裔美國人，
我並不是非裔美國人，
01:07
I also felt challenged
and indicted by his words.
and indicted by his words.
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我感覺自己也是他書中控訴的對象。
01:12
Especially these words:
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尤其是這段文字：
「自由派會表現出所有合宜的態度，
01:15
"There are liberals
who have all the proper attitudes,
who have all the proper attitudes,
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但他們沒有真正的信念。
01:19
but no real convictions.
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當攤牌的時刻來到，
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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你期待他們會兌現
你以為他們感受到的東西，
你以為他們感受到的東西，
01:26
they are somehow not there."
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結果他們不知怎地卻不見了。」
01:28
They are somehow not there.
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他們不在那裏了。
01:31
I took those words very literally.
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我用字面的意思來解讀這句話，
01:33
Where should I put myself?
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那我該把自己擺在哪裡？
01:36
I went to the Mississippi Delta,
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我搬到密西西比河三角洲，
01:38
one of the poorest regions
in the United States.
in the United States.
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一個美國非常貧窮的區域。
01:41
This is a place shaped
by a powerful history.
by a powerful history.
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這是一個由重大歷史塑造的地方，
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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在 1960 年代，非裔美國人
為了受教權、投票權捨命奮鬥。
為了受教權、投票權捨命奮鬥。
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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我也想參與這股改變的力量，
01:55
to help young teenagers graduate
and go to college.
and go to college.
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幫助青少年畢業和上大學。
02:00
When I got to the Mississippi Delta,
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我到密西西比三角洲的時候，
02:03
it was a place that was still poor,
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那還是個貧困的地區，
02:05
still segregated,
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種族隔閡依然存在，
02:07
still dramatically in need of change.
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非常需要一番大改革。
02:10
My school, where I was placed,
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我被分配到的學校
02:14
had no library, no guidance counselor,
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沒有圖書館，沒有輔導老師，
02:18
but it did have a police officer.
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倒是有一位警察。
02:21
Half the teachers were substitutes
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學校裡有一半的老師是代課老師。
02:24
and when students got into fights,
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有學生打架的時候，
02:26
the school would send them
to the local county jail.
to the local county jail.
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學校會將他們送去郡立監獄。
02:32
This is the school where I met Patrick.
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我就是在這所學校遇到派屈克。
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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他那時 15 歲，已被留級
兩次，仍在念八年級。
兩次，仍在念八年級。
02:40
He was quiet, introspective,
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他非常安靜，自省內斂，
02:42
like he was always in deep thought.
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好像總是陷於沉思中。
02:45
And he hated seeing other people fight.
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他討厭看別人打架。
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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我曾看過他試著阻止
兩位正在打架的女生，
兩位正在打架的女生，
02:53
and he got himself knocked to the ground.
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他當時還被推倒在地。
02:57
Patrick had just one problem.
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派屈克那時只有一個問題，
02:59
He wouldn't come to school.
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就是他不願上學。
03:03
He said that sometimes
school was just too depressing
school was just too depressing
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他說有時候學校很令人沮喪，
03:05
because people were always fighting
and teachers were quitting.
and teachers were quitting.
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因為常常有人打架，
又經常有老師辭職。
又經常有老師辭職。
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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還有，他媽媽兼了兩份差，
累到沒空盯他上學。
累到沒空盯他上學。
所以提醒他去上學成了我的工作。
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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03:19
And because I was crazy and 22
and zealously optimistic,
and zealously optimistic,
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那時我正值瘋狂的 22 歲，
熱血澎湃、積極樂觀。
熱血澎湃、積極樂觀。
我的策略就是每天去他家敲門叫他：
03:23
my strategy was
just to show up at his house
just to show up at his house
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03:25
and say, "Hey, why don't you
come to school?"
come to school?"
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「嘿，你幹嘛不來上學？」
這招還真的有效。
03:28
And this strategy actually worked,
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03:30
he started to come to school every day.
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他開始每天上學，
也在班上越來越進步。
03:32
And he started to flourish in my class.
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他開始寫詩、閱讀，
03:35
He was writing poetry,
he was reading books.
he was reading books.
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每天都來學校上課。
03:38
He was coming to school every day.
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但在我學會跟派屈克
建立良好關係的同時，
建立良好關係的同時，
03:43
Around the same time
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03:44
that I had figured out
how to connect to Patrick,
how to connect to Patrick,
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我收到了哈佛法學院的錄取通知。
03:47
I got into law school at Harvard.
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我又得重新面臨這個問題：
03:51
I once again faced this question,
where should I put myself,
where should I put myself,
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「我該把自己擺在哪裡？」
03:54
where do I put my body?
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03:57
And I thought to myself
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那時我心想，
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錢人、
有機會的人都會離開的地方。
有機會的人都會離開的地方。
04:03
people with opportunity,
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04:05
those people leave.
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04:07
And the people who stay behind
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留在那裡的都是沒有機會離開的人。
04:09
are the people who don't have
the chance to leave.
the chance to leave.
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04:12
I didn't want to be a person who left.
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我並不想當離開的人。
04:15
I wanted to be a person who stayed.
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我想當留下來的人，
04:18
On the other hand, I was lonely and tired.
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但我又覺得孤單、疲憊。
04:21
And so I convinced myself
that I could do more change
that I could do more change
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最後我說服自己，
如果我有受人崇敬的法律學位，
就有影響力來做更多更大的改革。
就有影響力來做更多更大的改革。
04:26
on a larger scale if I had
a prestigious law degree.
a prestigious law degree.
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04:31
So I left.
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於是我離開了。
04:34
Three years later,
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三年後，
04:36
when I was about
to graduate from law school,
to graduate from law school,
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在我就要從法學院畢業時，
朋友打電話告訴我，
04:38
my friend called me
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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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派屈克跟人起了衝突，
把對方殺死了。
把對方殺死了。
04:47
I was devastated.
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我非常震驚，
04:49
Part of me didn't believe it,
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心裡有一部分不想相信那是事實，
04:51
but part of me also knew that it was true.
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但另一部分很清楚這是真的。
我飛回去找派屈克，
04:55
I flew down to see Patrick.
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到了監獄探望他。
04:58
I visited him in jail.
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05:02
And he told me that it was true.
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他告訴我那是真的，
05:06
That he had killed someone.
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他的確殺了人，
05:08
And he didn't want to talk more about it.
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但他不願多談，
我問起他後來在學校的情形，
05:11
I asked him what had happened with school
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05:13
and he said that he had dropped out
the year after I left.
the year after I left.
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他說，他在我離開的那年就輟學了。
接著他還有事情想跟我說，
05:18
And then he wanted
to tell me something else.
to tell me something else.
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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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他低著頭說，
他有個才剛出生的女兒，
05:24
who was just born.
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05:25
And he felt like he had let her down.
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他覺得自己辜負了女兒。
我們的對話就只有這樣，
過程倉促又尷尬。
過程倉促又尷尬。
05:30
That was it, our conversation
was rushed and awkward.
was rushed and awkward.
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當我踏出監獄時，
心裡有個聲音說：
心裡有個聲音說：
05:35
When I stepped outside the jail,
a voice inside me said,
a voice inside me said,
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「回來吧！
05:40
"Come back.
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如果你現在不回來，
就不會再回來了！」
就不會再回來了！」
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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於是，從法學院畢業後，我回去了。
我回去見了派屈克，
05:52
I went back to see Patrick,
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去看看我是否能協助
處理他的法律案件。
處理他的法律案件。
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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當我再次遇見他時，
我提了一個自認不錯的主意，
06:02
I thought I had this great idea, I said,
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我說：「嘿！派屈克！
要不要寫封信給你女兒？
要不要寫封信給你女兒？
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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這樣你就能時時把她放在心上。」
我遞給他筆和紙，
06:12
And I handed him a pen
and a piece of paper,
and a piece of paper,
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他就開始寫信。
06:15
and he started to write.
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但當我看到他交給我的那封信時，
06:18
But when I saw the paper
that he handed back to me,
that he handed back to me,
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06:21
I was shocked.
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我難以置信。
我認不出他的字跡，
06:25
I didn't recognize his handwriting,
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他連很簡單的字都拼錯。
06:27
he had made simple spelling mistakes.
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我心想，身為老師，
06:31
And I thought to myself that as a teacher,
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我知道學生可以突然進步得很快，
06:33
I knew that a student
could dramatically improve
could dramatically improve
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06:37
in a very quick amount of time,
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但我從來沒想過，
學生的程度可以退步這麼多。
學生的程度可以退步這麼多。
06:40
but I never thought that a student
could dramatically regress.
could dramatically regress.
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更讓我感到衝擊的，
06:46
What even pained me more,
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是這封信的內容。
06:48
was seeing what he had written
to his daughter.
to his daughter.
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裡面寫著：
06:51
He had written,
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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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「我對我做錯事感到抱歉，
不能在你的身邊我感到抱歉。」
不能在你的身邊我感到抱歉。」
他覺得只需要對女兒說這些話。
06:58
And this was all he felt
he had to say to her.
he had to say to her.
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我問自己：要如何讓他
相信自己有更多話要說，
相信自己有更多話要說，
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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07:06
parts of himself that
he doesn't need to apologize for.
he doesn't need to apologize for.
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說的話也不只是他需要道歉的事。
我想讓他覺得他還有
值得與女兒分享的事情。
值得與女兒分享的事情。
07:10
I wanted him to feel
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07:12
that he had something worthwhile
to share with his daughter.
to share with his daughter.
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接下來的七個月，
07:17
For every day the next seven months,
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我每天都帶著書過去看他。
07:21
I visited him and brought books.
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我的袋子就像個小圖書館。
07:23
My tote bag became a little library.
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我帶了詹姆斯·鮑德溫，
07:27
I brought James Baldwin,
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我帶了華特·惠特曼、C.S. 路易斯，
07:29
I brought Walt Whitman, C.S. Lewis.
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我帶了樹木指南、鳥類圖鑒，
07:34
I brought guidebooks to trees, to birds,
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還有他最愛的字典。
07:39
and what would become
his favorite book, the dictionary.
his favorite book, the dictionary.
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有時候，
07:43
On some days,
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我們會安靜同坐
好幾個小時，各自閱讀。
好幾個小時，各自閱讀。
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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也有時候，
我們會一起讀詩。
07:51
we would read together,
we would read poetry.
we would read poetry.
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我們從俳句開始讀，上百首的俳句。
07:55
We started by reading haikus,
hundreds of haikus,
hundreds of haikus,
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看似簡單卻首首都是傑作。
07:59
a deceptively simple masterpiece.
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我要他分享他最喜歡的俳句，
08:02
And I would ask him,
"Share with me your favorite haikus."
"Share with me your favorite haikus."
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08:05
And some of them are quite funny.
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他挑了幾首還滿好玩的俳句。
比如小林一茶的這首：
08:08
So there's this by Issa:
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「蜘蛛別慌
08:10
"Don't worry, spiders,
I keep house casually."
I keep house casually."
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我打掃房子 很隨意」
還有這首：「睡了大半天
08:14
And this: "Napped half the day,
no one punished me!"
no one punished me!"
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卻沒人 處罰我」
還有一首很優美，描寫初雪的，
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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「小公鹿 相互舔拭
08:25
"Deer licking first frost
from each other's coats."
from each other's coats."
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毛絨上初霜」
詩歌的形式看起來
就是有那麼些神秘感和美感。
就是有那麼些神秘感和美感。
08:31
There's something mysterious and gorgeous
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08:34
just about the way a poem looks.
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而留白跟文字一樣重要。
08:36
The empty space is as important
as the words themselves.
as the words themselves.
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我們讀了一首 W.S. 默溫的詩，
08:43
We read this poem by W.S. Merwin,
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這是他看到妻子在花園裡工作，
08:45
which he wrote after he saw
his wife working in the garden
his wife working in the garden
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明白他們將共度餘生之後寫下的。
08:50
and realized that they would spend
the rest of their lives together.
the rest of their lives together.
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「讓我想像我們隨心所願
08:55
"Let me imagine that we will come again
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08:57
when we want to and it will be spring
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再次歸來，屆時將是春天
我們會像往昔那般青春
09:00
We will be no older than we ever were
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磨舊憂愁將已消逝如朝霧
09:04
The worn griefs will have eased
like the early cloud
like the early cloud
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09:08
through which morning
slowly comes to itself"
slowly comes to itself"
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晨光總要慢慢破雲而出」
09:11
I asked Patrick what his favorite
line was, and he said,
line was, and he said,
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我問派屈克最喜歡哪一句，
他說：
「我們會像往昔那般青春」，
09:15
"We will be no older than we ever were."
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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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他說這句讓他想像
時間會暫停的地方，
時間會暫停的地方，
在那裏時間不再那麼重要。
09:24
where time doesn't matter anymore.
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我問他自己有沒有一個這樣的地方，
時間永遠停留的地方。
時間永遠停留的地方。
09:27
And I asked him
if he had a place like that,
if he had a place like that,
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09:29
where time lasts forever.
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他說：「媽媽身邊。」
09:32
And he said, "My mother."
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當你與別人一起閱讀一首詩時，
09:35
When you read a poem
alongside someone else,
alongside someone else,
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詩的意義就會變化，
09:40
the poem changes in meaning.
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因為那首詩對你和共讀的人
都會有獨特意涵。
都會有獨特意涵。
09:43
Because it becomes personal
to that person, becomes personal to you.
to that person, becomes personal to you.
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我們還讀其他書，好多書。
09:49
We then read books, we read so many books,
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09:52
we read the memoir of Frederick Douglass,
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我們讀了佛雷德里克·道格拉斯的自傳。
道格拉斯是個自學讀寫的奴隸，
09:55
an American slave who taught
himself to read and write
himself to read and write
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並藉著讀書識字，走上自由之路。
09:59
and who escaped to freedom
because of his literacy.
because of his literacy.
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從小我就把道格拉斯視為一位英雄，
10:03
I had grown up thinking
of Frederick Douglass as a hero
of Frederick Douglass as a hero
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也把他的故事當作
奮發向上的勵志故事。
奮發向上的勵志故事。
10:06
and I thought of this story
as one of uplift and hope.
as one of uplift and hope.
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但這本書卻讓派屈克感到惶恐，
10:10
But this book put Patrick
in a kind of panic.
in a kind of panic.
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他特別在意道格拉斯提到，
10:14
He fixated on a story Douglass told
of how, over Christmas,
of how, over Christmas,
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聖誕節期間，主人會讓奴隸喝琴酒，
10:19
masters give slaves gin
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讓奴隸覺得他們無法掌控自由，
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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因為他們會跌跌撞撞，醉倒在田裡。
10:26
Because slaves would be
stumbling on the fields.
stumbling on the fields.
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派屈克對這個故事感同身受。
10:31
Patrick said he related to this.
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他說有些在監獄的人
也會像這些奴隸一樣，
也會像這些奴隸一樣，
10:34
He said that there are people in jail
who, like slaves,
who, like slaves,
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不想思考自己的處境，
10:37
don't want to think about their condition,
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10:40
because it's too painful.
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因為那實在太痛苦了。
回想過去令人很痛苦，
10:41
Too painful to think about the past,
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去想這種日子
還要過多久，也很痛苦。
還要過多久，也很痛苦。
10:44
too painful to think
about how far we have to go.
about how far we have to go.
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他最喜歡其中這一段：
10:48
His favorite line was this line:
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「無論什麼都行，只要讓我擺脫思考！
10:51
"Anything, no matter what,
to get rid of thinking!
to get rid of thinking!
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我無時無刻不在思考自己的
處境，這令我飽受折磨。」
處境，這令我飽受折磨。」
10:55
It was this everlasting thinking
of my condition that tormented me."
of my condition that tormented me."
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派屈克覺得道格拉斯真的很勇敢，
11:01
Patrick said that Douglass was brave
to write, to keep thinking.
to write, to keep thinking.
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因為他寫作、不斷思考。
但派屈克不知道，在我眼中，
他和道格拉斯有多像。
他和道格拉斯有多像。
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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就算這本書讓他感到惶恐，
他仍繼續讀下去；
他仍繼續讀下去；
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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他還比我先讀完這本書，
而且是在沒有燈的水泥樓梯間讀的。
11:20
reading it in a concrete
stairway with no light.
stairway with no light.
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接著我們讀我很喜歡的一本書，
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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瑪麗蓮·羅賓遜的小說《基列》，
11:28
Marilynne Robinson's "Gilead,"
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整本書是一封父親寫給兒子的信。
11:30
which is an extended letter
from a father to his son.
from a father to his son.
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他特別喜歡其中這句：
11:34
He loved this line:
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「我寫這封信給你的
原因之一是要告訴你，
原因之一是要告訴你，
11:37
"I'm writing this in part to tell you
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如果你曾經自問
你這輩子做了什麼……
你這輩子做了什麼……
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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你是上帝賜予我的恩典，
11:42
you have been God's grace to me,
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一個奇蹟，你的存在甚至超越奇蹟。」
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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文字裡所傳達的愛、期盼、語氣，
重新燃起他寫作的欲望。
11:55
rekindled Patrick's desire to write.
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他一本本的筆記本，
11:58
And he would fill notebooks upon notebooks
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滿滿的都是寫給女兒的信。
12:01
with letters to his daughter.
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12:04
In these beautiful, intricate letters,
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在一封封寫得又美又細緻的信裡，
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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他想像父女倆在密西西比河上，
划著獨木舟順流而下。
划著獨木舟順流而下。
他想像兩人找到一處
清澈見底的山澗。
清澈見底的山澗。
12:13
He would imagine them
finding a mountain stream
finding a mountain stream
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12:16
with perfectly clear water.
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看著派屈克寫作時，
12:20
As I watched Patrick write,
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我心想著一個問題，
12:23
I thought to myself,
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也想請教在座的各位：
12:25
and I now ask all of you,
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「你是否曾經寫信
給你覺得曾辜負的人？」
給你覺得曾辜負的人？」
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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最輕鬆的做法就是將對方拋諸腦後。
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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但派屈克卻每天都去面對
他女兒，認真為她負責；
他女兒，認真為她負責；
12:40
But Patrick showed up every day,
facing his daughter,
facing his daughter,
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12:44
holding himself accountable to her,
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他一字一句、全心全意地寫。
12:47
word by word with intense concentration.
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在我的生命裡，
12:54
I wanted in my own life
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我也想把自己擺在那樣的處境，
12:58
to put myself at risk in that way.
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因為面對那種挑戰才能
展現出一顆心的力量。
展現出一顆心的力量。
13:01
Because that risk reveals
the strength of one's heart.
the strength of one's heart.
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讓我退一步反觀自己，
提出一個令人不自在的問題：
提出一個令人不自在的問題：
13:08
Let me take a step back
and just ask an uncomfortable question.
and just ask an uncomfortable question.
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「我憑什麼講這個故事？
這不是派屈克的故事嗎？」
這不是派屈克的故事嗎？」
13:12
Who am I to tell this story,
as in this Patrick story?
as in this Patrick story?
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派屈克才是苦中求生的人，
13:18
Patrick's the one who lived with this pain
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而我生活寬裕、沒挨餓過。
13:21
and I have never been hungry
a day in my life.
a day in my life.
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我常常思考這個問題，
13:27
I thought about this question a lot,
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不過我想要講的是，
這不只是派屈克的故事，
這不只是派屈克的故事，
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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而是我們共同的故事，
13:32
It's about us,
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講的是我們之間的不平等。
13:34
it's about the inequality between us.
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故事裡有個富足的世界，
13:37
The world of plenty
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但派屈克和他的父母、
祖父母都被拒絕於門外。
祖父母都被拒絕於門外。
13:40
that Patrick and his parents
and his grandparents
and his grandparents
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13:44
have been shut out of.
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我在這個故事裡，
代表那個富足世界。
代表那個富足世界。
13:45
In this story, I represent
that world of plenty.
that world of plenty.
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在講這個故事時，
我不想再隱藏自己，
我不想再隱藏自己，
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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或隱瞞我享有的權力與資源。
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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在講這故事時，
我想揭露自己的優勢，
我想揭露自己的優勢，
並問：
14:00
and then to ask,
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14:03
how do we diminish
the distance between us?
the distance between us?
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「我們要如何減少彼此間的距離？」
閱讀是一種能縮短這個距離的方法，
14:08
Reading is one way to close that distance.
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閱讀賦予我們一個
能平等共享的安靜世界。
能平等共享的安靜世界。
14:11
It gives us a quiet universe
that we can share together,
that we can share together,
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14:16
that we can share in equally.
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你也許會好奇想問：
派屈克後來怎麼了？
派屈克後來怎麼了？
14:20
You're probably wondering now
what happened to Patrick.
what happened to Patrick.
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閱讀拯救他了嗎？
14:23
Did reading save his life?
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可以說有，也可以說沒有。
14:26
It did and it didn't.
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派屈克出獄後，
14:29
When Patrick got out of prison,
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他的生活非常痛苦，
14:32
his journey was excruciating.
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雇主因為他的犯罪記錄
而不願聘用他。
而不願聘用他。
14:36
Employers turned him away
because of his record,
because of his record,
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他最親近的朋友，也就是他母親，
14:39
his best friend, his mother,
died at age 43
died at age 43
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43 歲時，死於心臟病及糖尿病。
14:42
from heart disease and diabetes.
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他曾無家可歸，經常挨餓。
14:45
He's been homeless, he's been hungry.
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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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人們說了許多閱讀的好處，
我覺得有些誇大。
我覺得有些誇大。
14:55
Being literate didn't stop him
form being discriminated against.
form being discriminated against.
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派屈克沒有因為
會讀書識字而不被歧視，
會讀書識字而不被歧視，
14:59
It didn't stop his mother from dying.
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讀書識字也救不了他母親。
那，閱讀到底有什麼用？
15:03
So what can reading do?
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我在此用幾個答案來結尾。
15:07
I have a few answers to end with today.
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15:12
Reading charged his inner life
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閱讀改變了他的內心世界，
賦予神秘、想像力和美。
15:17
with mystery, with imagination,
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15:20
with beauty.
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閱讀讓他心中充滿了愉悅的景象：
15:22
Reading gave him images that gave him joy:
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山、海、鹿、霜，
15:27
mountain, ocean, deer, frost.
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在字句間他體驗到了
自由和自然的世界；
自由和自然的世界；
15:33
Words that taste of a free, natural world.
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閱讀賦予他聲音，
來訴說自己失去的一切。
來訴說自己失去的一切。
15:39
Reading gave him a language
for what he had lost.
for what he had lost.
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德里克·沃爾科特的
這幾行詩寫得真好，
這幾行詩寫得真好，
15:43
How precious are these lines
from the poet Derek Walcott?
from the poet Derek Walcott?
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派屈克把這首詩都背下來了。
15:47
Patrick memorized this poem.
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「我擁有的歲月
15:50
"Days that I have held,
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我丟失的歲月
15:52
days that I have lost,
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漸長的歲月，如女兒漸長
15:54
days that outgrow, like daughters,
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再也容不進停泊的，我的臂彎」
15:57
my harboring arms."
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閱讀給了他勇氣，
16:00
Reading taught him his own courage.
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記得他是如何在痛苦惶恐中
仍繼續閱讀道格拉斯書的書嗎？
仍繼續閱讀道格拉斯書的書嗎？
16:03
Remember that he kept reading
Frederick Douglass,
Frederick Douglass,
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16:07
even though it was painful.
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意識到自身的處境為他帶來傷痛，
他還是清醒的保有這種意識。
他還是清醒的保有這種意識。
16:09
He kept being conscious,
even though being conscious hurts.
even though being conscious hurts.
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閱讀是種思考的方式，
16:14
Reading is a form of thinking,
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閱讀之所以困難是因為
我們得邊讀邊思考，
我們得邊讀邊思考，
16:16
that's why it's difficult to read
because we have to think.
because we have to think.
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而派屈克選擇了思考，
而非放棄思考。
而非放棄思考。
16:20
And Patrick chose to think,
rather than to not think.
rather than to not think.
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最後，閱讀讓他找到了
一種和女兒溝通的語言，
一種和女兒溝通的語言，
16:28
And last, reading gave him a language
to speak to his daughter.
to speak to his daughter.
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閱讀激發了他的寫作興趣，
16:33
Reading inspired him to want to write.
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閱讀與寫作的關聯是如此強大。
16:36
The link between reading
and writing is so powerful.
and writing is so powerful.
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我們開始閱讀後，
16:40
When we begin to read,
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就能漸漸找到表達自己的詞彙。
16:42
we begin to find the words.
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他找到了自己的文字，
來描繪父女共處的幻想世界。
來描繪父女共處的幻想世界。
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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他也找到了用文字表達父愛的方式。
16:50
He found the words
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16:53
to tell her how much he loved her.
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閱讀也改變了我們彼此的關係，
16:58
Reading also changed
our relationship with each other.
our relationship with each other.
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讓我們有機會變得更親密，
17:02
It gave us an occasion for intimacy,
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也讓我們能跳脫自己原有的觀點。
17:04
to see beyond our points of view.
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閱讀也能在原本不平等的關係中，
17:07
And reading took an unequal relationship
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17:09
and gave us a momentary equality.
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創造出暫時的平等；
當你以讀者身分初識某人，
17:14
When you meet somebody as a reader,
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17:17
you meet him for the first time,
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17:19
newly, freshly.
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新鮮而陌生。
你不會知道他最喜歡哪一段文字，
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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他私底下又有哪些回憶和痛苦。
17:26
What memories and private griefs he has.
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你直接面對的是
他內在世界最私密的部分。
他內在世界最私密的部分。
17:30
And you face the ultimate privacy
of his inner life.
of his inner life.
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然後你可能會思考：
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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「那麼，我的內心世界裡有什麼？
我有甚麼是值得與人的分享的呢？」
17:39
What do I have that's worthwhile
to share with another?"
to share with another?"
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我想從派屈克寫給女兒的信中
17:45
I want to close
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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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摘錄出我最愛的幾句來做結尾：
「河流的某些部分被陰影遮住，
17:53
"The river is shadowy in some places
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不過光線會從樹木的縫隙透進來……
17:56
but the light shines
through the cracks of trees ...
through the cracks of trees ...
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許多桑葚懸掛在一些低矮樹枝上。
17:59
On some branches
hang plenty of mulberries.
hang plenty of mulberries.
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妳伸長了手想去摘。」
18:03
You stretch your arm
straight out to grab some."
straight out to grab some."
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還有這封很美的信：
18:08
And this lovely letter, where he writes,
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18:10
"Close your eyes and listen
to the sounds of the words.
to the sounds of the words.
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「把眼睛閉上，聽那些字詞的聲音。
我把它背得很熟，
18:14
I know this poem by heart
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我想讓妳也知道它。」
18:17
and I would like you to know it, too."
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謝謝大家！
18:21
Thank you so much everyone.
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（掌聲）
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