A paragraph from Robert Ebert's review of the movie Lincoln:
"Lincoln believed slavery was immoral, but he also considered the 13th Amendment a masterstroke in cutting away the financial foundations of the Confederacy. In the film, the passage of the amendment is guided by William Seward (David Strathairn), his secretary of state, and by Rep. Thaddeus Stevens (Tommy Lee Jones), the most powerful abolitionist in the House. Neither these nor any other performances in the film depend on self-conscious histrionics; Jones in particular portrays a crafty codger with some secret hiding places in his heart." - Roger Ebert
My paraphrase of this selected passage:
Throughout the entirety of film, Lincoln knew the 13th Amendment was the only clever option for the South's economic dependency on slavery to end and be irreversible. The 13th Amendment wasn't only necessary to re-individualize the South's economy but also to fortify Lincoln's ideals in anti-slavery and human rights. David Strathairn, who played William Seward in the film, and Tommy Lee Jones, who played Thaddeus Stevens, both assumed their roles and genuinely became their characters, along with the rest of the performers, without the exaggerated and artificial actions like many actors. The actors adapted their characters like unto themselves, especially Tommy Lee Jones who became the quick-witted Thaddeus Stevens with his unforthcoming desires deep down. The key persons in support of Lincoln and his ideals happened to be Seward and Stevens and the influence and abolitionist spirit they possessed greatly contributed to Lincoln's plan of having the 13th Amendment passed.
I did not find very many phrases or words that were copied directly from the original passage... well done!
ReplyDeleteYou have include all details that was in the original text.
ReplyDeleteThis was well written and has a nice flow throughout the passage.
ReplyDeleteThis is a pretty successful paraphrase. It avoids the reuse of words from the original. But it does slightly change some of the nuances of the original, and it includes some awkwardness as a result of the effort to translate the original. Check out my paraphrase and compare the meaning it conveys with the meaning your's conveys. Might there be some revisions you can make so that your paraphrase represents with 100% accuracy the meaning of Roger Ebert's original?
ReplyDeleteFrom Lincoln's perspective, slavery was wrong. However, he also was fully aware that by ending slavery, he wasn't just doing the right thing - he was also doing something that was really going to hurt the Confederacy, which depended on slavery for its economic survival. The movie shows how secretary of state, William Seward, as well as Congressmen Thaddeus Stevens, a leading opponent of slavery, helped Lincoln to get the 13th Amendment passed. The actors in these roles, like those who play the film's other characters, don't rely on overly-dramatic, showy performances. Exemplifying the subtly of these actors is Jones, who portrays Stevens as a clever old guy who is keeping some very important personal motivations to himself. (That last part relies upon the fact that you have watched the movie and know what Ebert means -Steven's relationships with his partner- when he talks about secrets in Steven heart).