“Fist year English” (module: “Seeing and saying things in English”).



Anita, Horn                                          Group: N                                           26/10/08

Task 1 (Part 2)


E)

1. The German student gets upset because the stereotypes described by the young British boy seem to fit perfectly his personality.

2. Most people don’t like to be put in front of the obvious truth about them because it’s hurtful. The German student can’t deny the truth: he’s studying and he’s tidy and those are characteristics he might not like about himself. Maybe he suffers about being too orderly and dutiful and wishes he enjoyed life more.

3. On the other hand the British boy isn’t teasing him for his personal character, but for stereotypes and generalizations about people from his country, in this case Germany. The British boy doesn’t really know the German boy, and what he said might easily apply to someone who isn’t German. The German student gets really upset when the stereotypes are applied to German history, to what happened in World War 2, and to Hitler in particular, and that is very upsetting because probably the German boy is aware of the burden his country, and himself as a German, is carrying to those events and ashamed for those terrible events. The British boy shows a huge lack of sensibility and a very simple mind.

4. I think stereotypes on one hand do describe the values of a culture. For example it’s true that Italians are generally untidy and Germans aren’t, and this fact applies in good and bad to personal and public life is these two countries.

5. But on the other hand stereotypes are misleading because whatever countries we are from we are all individuals with different characters and values, and the stereotypes don’t apply to everyone. Also stereotypes differ from country to country, meaning that the stereotypes that British people have about Germans might be different from the ones that Italians, for example, have about them. So stereotypes don’t only tell us something about the culture they describe, but about those who use them. Also, values are personal and are determined by many other facts, like family history, religion, schooling, social position…ex. Another deceptive thing about stereotypes is that they generate other stereotypes. Let’s take the example about Germans and Italians about being tidy. Being neat is generally associated with being cold, not very sensitive and not at all creative; being untidy is associated with being in some way creative, not reliable and unqualified. But Germans have some of the best philosophy, that definitely requires putting thought in order, but also being sensitive and Italians have great architecture witch needs creative qualities but also very mathematical and orderly thinking. So eventually I would say stereotypes are very ambiguous.



F)

Attitudes:



Questions:

  1. Are you happy of your life in general? (1-10)

  2. Have you decided which career to undertake in the future? (y/n)

  3. What do you think is the most important quality to have to accomplish what you want in life?

  4. How proud are you of being American? (1-10)

  5. Do you think America is a democratic country?

  6. Do you or don’t you agree with the following statement “If someone was to enter my private property and I had a fire arm I would use it”?

  7. What do you think about someone who hasn’t accomplished what they want in life?

  8. What was the most important fact that divided peers in school?



Probable answers and why:


  1. From 6 to 10. I think this is a great quality about Americans, although they have problems like everybody else, they always seem to look at the positive side of life.

  2. Yes. Maybe it’s because of schooling system, but young Americans usually seem to be very determined and to have already decided what their path for the future is going to be.

  3. Strong will/Woking hard. Americans generally think that anything is possible if you want it very badly, and if you work hard for it (historical idea that the US the world where everything is possible, the self-made man concept).

  4. From 7 to 10.

  5. Yes. They think America is the only truly democratic country in the world, even thought history has proved them wrong. This is because the people who “made” America were escaping from less democratic European countries and based their constitution on the idea of freedom, equality and democracy, and this is what Americans have always been taught.

  6. Yes. In the states owning personal firearms is legal, and I think this shows that although Americans seem vey open, they’re actually very frightened, and it shows is their idea of terrorism and “defensive war”.

  7. Looser. Idea that you don’t have anything if you didn’t achieve what you wanted. Looser means that you’re not worth anything.


    Language habits or attitudes that I attribute to young American people

    Questions

    Possible answers

    Positive thinking

    1) Are you happy about your life in general? (1-10)

    From 6 to 10

    Very clear setting of goals for the future

    2) Have you decided which career to undertake in the future? (y/n)

    yes

    Precise idea of private property and idea of self-defence with any means necessary

    6) Do you or don’t you agree with the following statement “If someone was to enter in my private property and I had a fire arm I would use it”?

    yes

    Nationalistic values, ideas about their democracy

    4) How proud are you of being American? (1-10)

    5) Do you think America is a democratic country?

    From 7 to 10

    yes

    Work ethic. idea that if you want something badly you we eventually achieve it by working hard

    3) What do you think is the most important quality to have to accomplish what you want in life?

    7) What do you think about someone who hasn’t accomplished what they want in life?

    Strong will/Working hard

    Looser

    Competitiveness (concept of looser versus popular)

    8) What was the most important fact that divided peers in school?

    Competitions in sports/ being looser versus popular



    8. Competitions in sports/ being looser versus popular. Establishing the value of a person on how well he does in sports and how he’s liked by others.