Part D   TheCourt-Martial of Willie Brand

 

Vocabulary Preparation:

 

court-martial  n. a military court that tries persons subject to military law 军事法庭

pulpify  v. to reduce to pulp 使成纸浆；使软烂

torture n. physical or mental anguish 酷刑；拷打

authorize  v. to confer authority upon (someone todo something); to empower 授权；批准

supervise  v. to direct or oversee the performance or operation of 监督；管理

maim  v.  to wound or injuresomeone very seriously and often permanently 残害；使残废 

manslaughter n. the crime of killing someone illegally but not deliberately 过失杀人

involuntary  adj. carried out without one's conscious wishes; not voluntary;unintentional 无意识的；不自觉的

condemn  v.  to to say very strongly that you do not approve of something orsomeone, especially because you think it is morally wrong 谴责；指责

dereliction  n. the fact of deliberately not doing what you ought to do,especially when it is part of your job 玩忽职守

detainee  n. a person who is held in custody, especially for politicalreasons 被拘留者；被羁押者

trip  v. to hit something with your foot by accident so that you fall oralmost fall; to make someone fall by putting your foot in front of them whenthey are moving 绊倒

high-ranking adj. having a senior position in a military or politicalorganization 职位高的；显要的

hood n. a loose head covering eitherattached to a cloak or coat or made as a separate garment 罩子；风帽；面罩

shackle  v. to put one of a pair of metal rings joined by a chain on someonefor fastening together their hands or feet, so that they cannot move easily orescape 戴镣铐

interrogator  n. a person who interrogates 审问者

procedure  n. a way of acting or progressing in a course of action, especiallyan established method 程序，步骤

brutal  adj.cruel; vicious; savage 残暴的；兽性的

peroneal adj. of or relating to the outer side of the leg 腓骨的；腓骨侧的

vaguely  adv. in a manner that isnot precise or clear 模糊地；含糊地

buckle  v. to bend or cause to bend out of shape, especially as a result ofpressure or heat （被）压垮，压弯

groin  n. the place where the tops of your legs meet the front of yourbody 腹股沟；大腿根儿

 

 

Notes:

 

Cincinnati is a city in southwest Ohio in theUS, next to the Ohio River. It is an important industrial center. 辛辛那提（美国俄亥俄州西南端工商业城市）

Bagram is a small town in Bagram Districtin Parwan Province of Afghanistan, about 60 kilometers north of the capitalKabul. It was a key passage from Ancient India along the Silk Road. 巴格拉姆（阿富汗帕尔旺省的一个小城镇）

The Taliban is an Islamic fundamentalistpolitical movement in Afghanistan, which controlled most of country from 1997to 2001. The Taliban followed the laws of Islam very strictly. 塔利班（伊斯兰原教旨主义运动组织）

 

Exercise:Answer the following questions.

 

1.        Willie Brand defended historture of the prisoners as following some authorized procedures. Watch thevideo carefully, listening to his words and examining his facial expressions, howdo you explain Willie Brand as a person capable of such violent actions?

2.        Christopher Beiring said that ifhe were a prisoner, he would consider shackling method acceptable. Do youaccept a certain amount of violence in prisons? If yes, to what extent?

3.        Besides Willie Brand and ChristopherBeiring, what else do you think should be responsible for the death of the twoprisoners?

4.        There has been plenty ofcoverage on the violence in American prisons. What do you think led to thewidespread violence in American prisons?

5.        Wars bring the most severedestruction and miseries to human life. What measures do you think can be takento protect the basic human rights of prisoners and civilians in wartime?