May 10, 2004 06:05
20 yrs ago
1 viewer *
English term
Works in: English to Chinese
an American journey
English
Art/Literary
Poetry & Literature
"bill clinton: an American journey" by nigel hamilton
Does "American" here refer to the person or the country?
Is it "a journey of a man" or "a journey of the USA? "
Does "American" here refer to the person or the country?
Is it "a journey of a man" or "a journey of the USA? "
Responses
+11
1 hr
Selected
qualifies "journey"
Clearly, there are many kinds of journeys that I one can write about. Through the life of Bill Clinton, the author is narrating a journey that is characteristically American. Of course, the journey is being undertaken by an American. But the connotation of the phrase is significantly different from "An American's Journey."
The is a book titled "My American Journey" coauthored by Colin Powell (from an administration that on the other end of the political spectrum) in which he narrates his own journey, which is American as well. The common thread is the notion that there are certain characteristics of life in America which are distinct from the same in a different country.
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Note added at 1 hr 12 mins (2004-05-10 07:17:38 GMT)
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Typo: Please read \"There is a . . \" instead of \"The is a . . \" at the start of the second paragraph. Thanks.
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Note added at 1 hr 38 mins (2004-05-10 07:43:49 GMT)
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It refers to the journey of Bill Clinton. That journey is an American one.
The is a book titled "My American Journey" coauthored by Colin Powell (from an administration that on the other end of the political spectrum) in which he narrates his own journey, which is American as well. The common thread is the notion that there are certain characteristics of life in America which are distinct from the same in a different country.
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Note added at 1 hr 12 mins (2004-05-10 07:17:38 GMT)
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Typo: Please read \"There is a . . \" instead of \"The is a . . \" at the start of the second paragraph. Thanks.
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Note added at 1 hr 38 mins (2004-05-10 07:43:49 GMT)
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It refers to the journey of Bill Clinton. That journey is an American one.
Peer comment(s):
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Krisztina Lelik
2 hrs
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Thank you, Krisztina!
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| agree |
Vicky Papaprodromou
2 hrs
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Thank you, Vicky!
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John Wellesly Helliwell
2 hrs
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Thank you, John!
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DGK T-I
: in the title"B C :an American journey",it is the nature of the journey that is being stated to be American(even though BC the person,&the journey are both Americ. in fact)(For interest only,review http://www.mccormack.umb.edu/institute/Clintonbio/book.htm
3 hrs
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Precisely! Thank you, Dr. Kvrivishvili
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ben baudoin
3 hrs
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Thank you, Ben!
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mportal
6 hrs
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Thank you, mportal!
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RHELLER
7 hrs
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Thank you, Rita!
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| agree |
Craft.Content
9 hrs
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Thank you, nbhairav!
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Alfa Trans (X)
11 hrs
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Thank you, Marju!
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Monika@ProZ
12 hrs
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Thank you, Monika!
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| agree |
Rajan Chopra
18 hrs
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Thank you, langclinic!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Thank you very much!"
2 mins
Edith Kelly
Switzerland
Switzerland
Native in English
&
English
Switzerland
Professional conference interpreter
Native in: German 
, English
Works in: German to English, English to German, Dutch to German, and 4 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
20
It refers to the person
in this context, it qualifies the person
1 hr
Herman Vilella
Native in English
&
English
A lifetime of translations
Native in: English , Spanish
Works in: English to Spanish, Spanish to English, English, and 1 more.
Bill Clinton, una transición norteamericana
The title implies "a passage from one stage to another", meaning "America passed from one stage to another under Bill Clinton"
2 hrs
It refers to the person but...
also to the country.
It is very complex since there is a meaning behind a title. The title itself refers to the person and to make it more understandable to you, I would perephrase it as: A journey taken by an American. But what the author really means is (to put it simply): how America changed over time together with the person that was taking the journey.
Please note that I am not going into too much detail here since it is kudoz question, not an essay about the book. If you read the book, you'll understand more about the title.
It is very complex since there is a meaning behind a title. The title itself refers to the person and to make it more understandable to you, I would perephrase it as: A journey taken by an American. But what the author really means is (to put it simply): how America changed over time together with the person that was taking the journey.
Please note that I am not going into too much detail here since it is kudoz question, not an essay about the book. If you read the book, you'll understand more about the title.
Peer comment(s):
| neutral |
RHELLER
: then it would read: an American's journey
5 hrs
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if you read my response carefully, there was a "but" after I said that it referred to the person. Thank you.
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10 hrs
Bill Clinton
Clearly Bill Clinton is an American (and like most Aericans he thinks he is a typical American -- see the footnot of this answer/comment at the end). Thereby "an American" is no other than he himself, and the journey is his. However given the fact he was the President (the Head-Hocho, the Leader) of the United States, and I assume this book is his autobiography, the journey is both of "Bill Clinton" as well as that of the country called the United States of America which he once lead. Then the journey must involve his public life (that is the history of his time) and his private life. In many autobiographies the latter part is more important than his/her public life. On the other hand because ordinary people don't publish autobiography (because nobody but himself or his family is interested reading), it is almost always by public figures such as Bill Clinton.
Footone: According to a book by Daniel Evan Weiss "100% American" 100% of Americans are, if nothing else, Americans.
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Note added at 2004-05-10 16:20:23 (GMT)
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Woops! This book is not by Bill Clinton, so it is not autobiography, but just biography. Nevertheless my point is same.
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Note added at 2004-05-10 16:27:53 (GMT)
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Footnote, not footnot or footone --- simple typo.
Again, the journey Bill Clinton\'s author is talking about is Bill Clinton\'s journey whose part, as he being the President of the Untied States, is that of America at his time (I assume, as I haven\'t read the book).
Footone: According to a book by Daniel Evan Weiss "100% American" 100% of Americans are, if nothing else, Americans.
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Note added at 2004-05-10 16:20:23 (GMT)
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Woops! This book is not by Bill Clinton, so it is not autobiography, but just biography. Nevertheless my point is same.
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Note added at 2004-05-10 16:27:53 (GMT)
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Footnote, not footnot or footone --- simple typo.
Again, the journey Bill Clinton\'s author is talking about is Bill Clinton\'s journey whose part, as he being the President of the Untied States, is that of America at his time (I assume, as I haven\'t read the book).
1 day 9 hrs
The content of the book would tell you
Since I have not read the book, I don't know for sure. When the author chose the title, he may have intended to refer to either or both aspects. Just guessing by the title, however, it appears that the reference is to Bill Clinton's political journey and his insights into American society from his viewpoint.
Discussion