原句出自於 Tom Hanks 於2011年 Yale 畢業典禮演說詞,摘錄如下:
The early American naval commander John Paul Jones said “If fear is cultivated it will become stronger. If faith is cultivated it will achieve mastery.” and this is why I’m a big fan of history because observations in the American colonies over 200 years ago by Nathan Hale, who lived in that building right over there, translate word for word of the United States in 2011, “For I take that fear to be fear in large-scale. Fear itself intimidating and constant and I take faith to be what we hold in ourselves, our American ideal of self-determination.”
注意前後文的關係,
...observations in the American colonies over 200 years ago by Nathan Hale translate word for word of the United States in 2011, “For I take that fear...”
200 年前 Nathan Hale 所見所思,以2011年的美國逐字解讀,
Nathan Hale 於1769 年進入Yale 就讀,獨立戰爭期間,自願進入英軍占領區擔任情報搜集工作。被補後慷慨就義,說出, "I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country.",享年21歲。
Tom Hanks 先以 John Paul Jones 所說 fear 和 faith 起頭,導入Nathan Hale 以連結美國建國之初,先烈們所面對的 fear 和其所抱持的 faith,來闡述今日的美國人們所面臨的 fear和立國之初一脈延續至今的faith.
word for word 的意思
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/word-for-word