American Culture
Universidad Mariano Gálvez de Guatemala Facultad de Humanidades Escuela de Idiomas Técnico Universitario en Traducción e Interpretación (Inglés-Español _ Español-Inglés) Catedrática: Licenciada Evelyn Quiroa
AMERICAN CULTURE
Marlyn Jesenia Gómez Girón Section A Guatemala, November 25, 2011 Carné: 1076-11-4658
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The Culture of the United States is a Western culture, having been originally influenced by European cultures. It has been developing since long before the United States became a country with its own unique social and cultural characteristics such as dialect, music, arts, social habits, cuisine, and folklore. Today, the United States of America is an ethnically and racially diverse country as a result of large-scale immigration from many different countries throughout its history. American culture includes both conservative and liberal elements, military and scientific competitiveness, political structures, risk taking and free expression, materialist and moral elements. Despite certain consistent ideological principles (e.g. individualism, egalitarianism, and faith in freedom and democracy), American culture has a variety of expressions due to its geographical scale and demographic diversity. The United States has often been thought of as a melting pot, but recent developments tend towards cultural diversity, pluralism and the image of a salad bowl rather than a melting pot.[4][5] Due to the extent of American culture there are many integrated but unique social subcultures within the United States. The cultural affiliations an individual in the United States may have commonly depend on social class, political orientation and a multitude of demographic characteristics such as religious background, occupation and ethnic group membership.
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Today I had an idea of the introduction of American Culture. We knew the main points we are going to see during Culture American Course.
AMERICAN CULTURE This course presents what people in the USA and from the outside perceive and encapsulate in the term “American culture”. Students are briefly exposed to basic concepts and theoretical models used in the anthropological discipline to approach the understanding of cultural values considered to be at the core of American culture. The purpose is to show students the cultural historical processes from which these cultural values have emerged and how have been transformed and are expressed in contemporary times through different themes such as: family, ethnic and cultural diversity, consumerism, entertainment and technology, among others. Learners in this course explore the complexities embedded in the concept of “culture” as it is exercised in the USA context. A very important companion for learners in the adventure of looking at American culture through anthropological glasses is the use of popular culture in its multiple manifestations. COURSE DESCRIPTION Culture is not static, it is in constant transformation. The, core societal values constantly change and reflect life styles and social movements. GUIDING PRINCIPLES To understand the present, we need to look and analyze the past. The historical past of cultures contain the keys in the analysis and understanding of the origin and genesis of core cultural characteristics and values. Likewise, the political and ideological contextualization of the present shades our views of the past. Popular culture is expressed in objects, activities and communicative media. It offers significant insights for cultural understanding, history and humanity in general. Read the lesson and the required assigned material. All the content you need for this class, including links to discussions and assignments, is available under "course content." All of the assignment/discussions are listed in the lessons under Course Content. Due Dates are in the syllabus.
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EXPECTATIONS FOR SUCCESS IN THIS COURSE Participate fully in the course. Your ideas, comments and feedback expressed in your assignments and shared by faculty and classmates are important and valued. Log into online course more than twice during the week to check for updates, read messages, work on assignments and post them. Manage your time wisely in order to complete your assignments on or before deadlines. Students in this course will: LEARNING OUTCOMES Learn basic anthropological concepts and theoretical models Apply basic anthropological concepts to the analysis and understanding of cultural processes in the past and present of the USA. Identify cultural characteristics and values of the USA culture Use popular culture to analyze USA cultural characteristics and values. Cultural phenomena for study includes: popular and ethnic music, sports, television, advertising and film. Insightful, academically appropriate comments are required and your messages and postings will be assessed as part of your final grade. EVALUATION Students in this course will reflect their academic competence by completing: Class & homework: 20 pts a. Class diary b. Discussions c. Film Reviews d. Essays e. Pop Quizzes f. Presentations g. Worksheets h. Forum participation i. Brochures and newsletters Portfolio Project: 20 pts
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Final: 60 pts *80% course attendance
Where Do Americans Come From? COURSE CONTENTS The United States of America
The US Government .S Constitution
American People
---Americans Come From Everywhere ---Native Americans ---"White" People ---"Black" People ---"Hispanic" People ---"Asians" ---"Minorities" ---Mistaken For Black Social Classes ---Social Mobility ---The Middle Class ---Poverty in America ---The Lower Class ---The Upper Class Overview of the US History
American Educational System Religions in America Family Life Media and their Messages American Popular Entertainment
American Economy
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WHAT IS CULTURE? The word culture has many different meanings. For some it refers to an appreciation of good literature, music, art, and food. For a biologist, it is likely to be a colony of bacteria or other microorganisms growing in a nutrient medium in a laboratory Petri dish. However, for anthropologists and other behavioral scientists, culture is the full range of learned human behavior patterns. The term was first used in this way by the Edward B. Tylor pioneer English Anthropologist Edward B. Tylor in his (1832-1917) book, Primitive Culture, published in 1871. Tylor said that culture is "that complex whole which includes knowledge, belief, art, law, morals, custom, and any other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society." Of course, it is not limited to men. Women possess and create it as well. Since Tylor's time, the concept of culture has become the central focus of anthropology. Culture is a powerful human tool for survival, but it is a fragile phenomenon. It is constantly changing and easily lost because it exists only in our minds. Our written languages, governments, buildings, and other man-made things are merely the products of culture. They are not culture in themselves. For this reason, archaeologists cannot dig up culture directly in their excavations. The broken pots and other artifacts of ancient people that they uncover are only material remains that reflect cultural patterns--they are things that were made and used through cultural knowledge and skills.
Layers of Culture There are very likely three layers or levels of culture that are part of your learned behavior patterns and perceptions. Most obviously is the body of cultural traditions that distinguish your specific society. When people speak of Italian, Samoan, or Japanese culture, they are referring to the shared language, traditions, and beliefs that set each of these peoples apart from others. In most cases, those who share your culture do so because they acquired it as they were raised by parents and other family members who have it.
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The second layer of culture that may be part of your identity is a subculture . In complex, diverse societies in which people have come from many different parts of the world, they often retain much of their original cultural traditions. As a result, they are likely to be part of an identifiable subculture in their new society. The shared cultural traits of subcultures set them apart from the rest of their society. Examples of easily identifiable subcultures in the United States include ethnic groups such as Vietnamese Americans, African Americans, and Mexican Americans. Members of each of these subcultures share a common identity, food tradition, dialect or language, and other cultural traits that come from their common ancestral background and experience. As the cultural differences between members of a subculture and the dominant national culture blur and eventually disappear, the subculture ceases to exist except as a group of people who claim a common ancestry. That is generally the case with German Americans and Irish Americans in the United States today. Most of them identify themselves as Americans first. They also see themselves as being part of the cultural mainstream of the nation. These Cuban American women in Miami, Florida have a shared subculture identity that is reinforced through their language, food, and other traditions The third layer of culture consists of cultural universals. These are learned behavior patterns that are shared by all of humanity collectively. No matter where people live in the world, they share these universal traits. Examples of such "human cultural" traits include: 1.
communicating with a verbal language consisting of a limited set of sounds and grammatical rules for constructing sentences
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2. using age and gender to classify people (e.g., teenager, senior citizen, woman, man) 3. classifying people based on marriage and descent relationships and having kinship terms to refer to them (e.g., wife, mother, uncle, cousin) 4. raising children in some sort of family setting 5. having a sexual division of labor (e.g., men's work versus women's work) 6. having a concept of privacy 7. having rules to regulate sexual behavior 8. distinguishing between good and bad behavior 9. having some sort of body ornamentation 10. making jokes and playing games 11. having art 12. having some sort of leadership roles for the implementation of community decisions
While all cultures have these and possibly many other universal traits, different cultures have developed their own specific ways of carrying out or expressing them. For instance, people in deaf subcultures frequently use their hands to communicate with sign language instead of verbal language. However, sign languages have grammatical rules just as verbal ones do.
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Culture and Society Culture and society are not the same thing. While cultures are complexes of learned behavior patterns and perceptions, societies are groups of interacting organisms. People are not the only animals that have societies. Schools of fish, flocks of birds, and hives of bees are societies. In the case of humans, however, societies are groups of people who directly or indirectly interact with each other. People in human societies also generally perceive that their society is distinct from other societies in terms of shared traditions and expectations. While human societies and cultures are not the same thing, they are inextricably connected because culture is created and transmitted to others in a society. Cultures are not the product of lone individuals. They are the continuously evolving products of people interacting with each other. Cultural patterns such as language and politics make no sense except in terms of the interaction of people. If you were the only human on earth, there would be no need for language or government.
Is Culture Humans?
Limited
to
Non-human culture? There is a difference of This orangutan mother is opinion in the behavioral using a specially prepared sciences about whether or stick to "fish out" food from not we are the only a crevice. She learned this animal that creates and skill and is now teaching it uses culture. The answer to her child who is hanging to this question depends on on her shoulder and intently how narrow culture is watching. defined. If it is used broadly to refer to a complex of learned behavior patterns, then it is clear that we are not alone in creating and using culture. Many other animal species teach their young what they themselves learned in order to survive.
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This is especially true of the chimpanzees and other relatively intelligent apes and monkeys. Wild chimpanzee mothers typically teach their children about several hundred food and medicinal plants. Their children also have to learn about the dominance hierarchy and the social rules within their communities. As males become teenagers, they acquire hunting skills from adults. Females have to learn how to nurse and care for their babies. Chimpanzees even have to learn such basic skills as how to perform sexual intercourse. This knowledge is not hardwired into their brains at birth. They are all learned patterns of behavior just as they are for humans. http://anthro.palomar.edu/culture/culture_1.htm VIDEOS: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iCVUNGiN-I&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57KW6RO8Rcs&feature=related
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October 8th, 2011 We learned what is norm and we understood the difference between norm and culture.
Culture is a way of life: habits, customs, food and traditions.
Norm is punished/ awarded: something that is average, usual, or expected. It is a standard of behavior that is accepted in a particular society.
Besides, we learned the meaning of some different languages and to have a clearer idea of the discovery of America we saw a video about the timeline of who really discovered America.
The teacher assigned homework about “Who really discovered America?” Part I: we will have to make a timeline on the discovery of America and the Part II: we will have to make a power point presentation and a brochure on Native Americans. Video of who really discovered America? http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=who+really+discovered+america%3 F&oq=who+really+discovered+america%3F&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=16l1 3318l0l13881l43l25l0l1l1l2l1214l3419l2-1.1.0.1.1.1l6l0
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AMERICAN IDIOMS Tongue-in-Cheek
Bend Over Backwards
Jump Down Someone's Throat
Cough Up
Smell a Rat
Scratch Someone's Back
Shoot Off One's Mouth
Turn Someone Off
Go to the Dogs
Fishy
Get in Someone's hair
Kick the Bucket
Pull Someone's Leg
Get Off Someone's Back
Cat Got Your Tongue
String Someone Along
Leave Someone High and Dry
All Thumbs
On the Line
Not Have a Leg to Stand On
Horse Around
Wet Blanket
Feel Like a Million Dollars
Going Under Knife
Straight From the Horse's Mouth
Knock Someone's Socks Off
Hang On
Lose One's Shirt
abFor the Birds
Out of the Woods
Make Ends Meet
Spill the Beans
Let the cat out of the Bag
Lemon
Money talks
The Early Bird Catches the Worm
Take the Bull by the Horns
Pay Through the Nose
Eating Someone
Stick Out One's Neck
Drive Someone Up a Wall
Play It by Ear
Jump the Gun
Bite the Dust
Smell a Rat How come the front door is open? Didn't you close it before we went shopping? I'm sure I did. I can't understand it. Frankly, I smell a rat. Me, too. I'm convinced that something is definitely wrong here. We'd better call the police.
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Go to the Dogs Have you seen their house lately? It's really gone to the dogs. It's true that it has become run-down and in serious need of repair, but I'm sure that it can be fixed up to look like new. I guess with a little carpentry work and some paint it could look pretty decent.
Fishy When the security guard saw a light in the store after closing hours, it seemed to him that there was something fishy going on. He called the central office and explained to his superior that he thought something strange and suspicious was occurring.
Take the Bull by the Horns Julie had always felt that she was missing out on a lot of fun because of her clumsiness on the dance floor. She had been putting off taking lessons, but she finally took the bull by the horns and went to a professional dance studio for help. She was tired of feeling left out and acted decisively to correct the situation.
Let the cat out of the Bag Bob was going to retire from teaching in June, and the foreign language department was planning on presenting him with some luggage at his retirement dinner. He wasn't supposed to know about it, but someone let the cat out of the bag. At the dinner Bob acted surprised, even though someone had told him what he was getting before the official presentation.
For the Birds They went to a poetry reading, but they got bored and restless. As far as they were concerned, it was for the birds! They left during an intermission because they found the reading totally uninteresting and meaningless
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Straight From the Horse's Mouth How did you find out that Jill was engaged? I got the information from a very reliable source. You mean Jill told you so herself? That's right. I got it straight from the horse's mouth!
Horse Around Did you hear about Dave's back injury? No. How did he get hurt? Well, after the coach left the gym he decided to stay and horse around on the parallel bars. He somehow lost his grip and fell on his back. That's too bad, but he shouldn't have been aimlessly playing around on the equipment without proper supervision.
Cat Got Your Tongue? Come on, Connie! Tell us what you think about our little ride down the rapids yesterday. Well, uh... Wasn't it exciting? I, uh... What's the matter? Cat got your tongue? If you must know, I'm keeping quiet because I was scared out of my wits!
Shoot Off One's Mouth Jim doesn't play tennis very much, but he's always shooting off his mouth about how good he is. Yet he's fooling nobody. Jim is somewhat of a braggart and everyone knows that he gives opinions without knowing all the facts and talks as if he knew everything about the game.
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Jump Down Someone's Throat That's it, Greg! You'd better not come in after midnight again tonight! I know, dad. You don't have to jump down my throat! I told you that I'd make it home around 11:30. I don't intend to be late! Well, you've said that before and in you come at 2: 30 in the morning. You can't blame me for getting angry and scolding you. I've got good reason.
Pay Through the Nose At last Mr. Smith came upon the rare stamp he had been seeking at an auction. Since many other stamp collectors would also be bidding for it, he realized that he would have to pay through the nose in order to have it. After considering the increasing value of the stamp, he decided that he would not mindpaying such a high price for something so rare.
Tongue-in-Cheek Why were you teasing Sonia about her new hairdo? She really took offense at what you said. I didn't mean to offend her. I was simply making a tongue-in-cheek remark when i said that it was too elaborate for a girl of her young, tender age. Well, she thought you were serious. She had no idea that you were just saying that as a joke. I'm really sorry. I suppose I owe her an apology.
Pull Someone's Leg Hey, Al. I was invited to be a judge for the Miss America Beauty Pageant! Oh, really? Come on, you're pulling my leg! No, honestly. Do you really think that I'm trying to fool you with a ridiculous story? Well, you've told me foolish stories before. I can assure you that this one is for real.
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Play It by Ear Let's go to the movies, agreed? Sure. And what'll we do after that ? Oh, I don't know. Let's play it by ear. Well, I would like to have a more definite plan of action. Don't be like that. It's always more fun not knowing what to expect and deciding what to do as we go along.
Stick Out One's Neck How come they're asking me to act as their guide through the jungle? Evidently they think you're the only one who can lead them to the lost temple. That jungle has danger lurking around every corner. Why should I stick my neck out for them? They didn't pay me for my services. They know that you would be taking a great risk and could possibly get hurt, but you're the only one with enough knowledge to take them to their destination. I'm sure you'll be amply rewarded.
All Thumbs Hey Bea. Can you help me out ? I don't seem to be able to button up the back of my dress. Sure. Let's see if I can do it for you. I guess I'm all thumbs because I'm so nervous. I'm already late for my date. Well, I suppose that being so nervous would make you clumsy and awkward. But don't worry. I'm sure your date will wait.
Not Have a Leg to Stand On Tom maintains that the firm owes him some back wages for having worked overtime. However, he won't have a leg to stand on unless he can prove that he put in all those extra hours. He doesn't stand a chance of getting his money without a strong foundation of facts to support his position.
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Get Off Someone's Back Hey, John. I'm bored. Come on, let's go out and do something. Sorry, I'm right in the middle of studying for a physics exam. I won't be able to make it tonight. You've been studying for a long time. Why don't you take a break ? Come on! Let's go ! Forget studying for a while ! Look! Get off my back! I can't go anywhere! OK. I'll stop bothering you only if you promise to let me know the minute you're finished.
Drive Someone Up a Wall Wow ! What a great set of drums! Yeah, they're great, but I can't play on them when my folks are at home. They say I drive them up a wall with all the loud banging. I get the same thing at home. My folks tell me that I annoy them and get them really angry whenever I turn up the volume on my stereo.
String Someone Along Liz had high hopes of marrying Dean. When he ran off with another woman, she realized that he was just stringing her along. She had felt very strongly about him and was really hurt to see that he was deceiving her and had no intentions of ever marrying her.
Leave Someone High and Dry Say, Jill. I thought that John was going to help you do the dishes tonight. So did I. But he left me high and dry. Where did he go ? Well, he got a call from some of his pals at work to go bowling, and he left me alone to do all this work without any help at all!
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Spill the Beans Did you know that Harry was going to take Kathy on a Caribbean cruise ? Yes, I did. He was planning on surprising her with the tickets fro their anniversary, but someone spilled the beans. What a shame ! That was supposed to have been a surprise. Yes, it's too bad that someone told her about the trip beforehand and ruined Harry's surprise. That's OK. Her enthusiasm was not dampened in the least!
Bite the Dust Andy did exceptionally well in all of the track events, but he bit the dust in the high jump competition. Much to the disappointment of his fans, he went down in defeat, losing to a competitor from the visiting team.
Bend Over Backwards When Joan first started teaching she was afraid that she would have a lot of trouble getting used to the kids and to the faculty. Her fears turned out to be unfounded, since everybody bent over backwards to help her. Everyone tried very hard to help her feel comfortable and adjust to the school.
Cough Up Say, Greg. Did you finally get that computer that you wanted so much ? Not yet. I needed to raise a couple of hundred dollars more. Is it going to take you a while to raise the money? It would have taken me forever, but dad said he'd cough up the money I need since I'm going to be using the computer for my school work. Maybe it was difficult for your dad to give you the money but then, he knows that it's for a good cause.
Jump the Gun Denise was planning on telling her grandparents that the doctor said she was going to have twins, but when her dad found out he jumped the gun and told them before Denise could say a word. He was so excited that he became hasty and revealed the news before Denise had a chance to tell them.
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Scratch Someone's Back Hey, Bea. I need some help stacking these boxes. Would you please give me a hand? OK. And I need some help tidying up the house. How about your helping me out after that? OK. If you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. I know you don't like doing housework, but I'll help you with the boxes if you promise to return the favor. No problem. I'll even do the windows.
Turn Someone Off How was your date with Marty last night? Well, it started of OK, but he really turned me off when we went for a snack after the movies. Did he say or do something to annoy you? Frankly, he disgusted me when he tried to talk with his mouth full. I don't blame you. That would have really bothered me too.
Kick the Bucket It's been said that the old man knew of a buried treasure, but he kicked the bucket before telling anyone where it was. If the treasure exists, the old man unfortunately took the secret of its location with him when he died.
Wet Blanket James was not invited to go on the outing with the rest of the group because he's such a wet blanket. On many previous occasions he has kept others from enjoying themselves by his pessimism and lack of enthusiasm. It's understandable that no one wants him around.
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Going under the knife When critics and celebrity observers criticized Heidi Montag for undergoing ten plastic surgery procedures in one operation, she answered back that going under the knife is only a medical operation that doesn't involve any lifethreatening risk.
Knock Someone's Socks Off Hi, John. What's new? Oh, nothing too much with me, but you ought to see Fredo's new car. It'll knock your socks off! So, he finally got that Italian sports car he's been dreaming about. He sure did. When you see all the custom features that it has, you'll get so enthused and excited you won't know what to do. Boy, I can hardly wait to go for a ride in it.
Lose One's Shirt I happened to bump into Dole at lunch yesterday afternoon. What's new with Dole these days? He wasn't doing so well. For one thing, he told me he lost his shirt at the races. Dole has always liked to bet on the horses. I'm not surprised that he lost a great deal of money. Yeah. At this rate he'll never have a penny to his name.
Lemon Have you seen Joe's new car yet ? Yeah. It looks good, but she's had nothing but problems with it. That's too bad. It sounds like she got a real lemon. She sure did. No sooner did she drive it home from the dealer's than it proveddefective and started breaking down.
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Out of the Woods Although Eric was well on his way to recovering from his bout with pneumonia, he was still not out of the woods. The doctors told him that he would have to take it easy and avoid exposure to cold, since he was not out of danger and difficulty yet.
Eating Someone Hey, Alice. What's been eating you lately? Don't you realize how rude and irritable you've become? I know. I'm really sorry for the way I've been acting. Well, why don't you tell me what has been bothering and upsetting you and maybe we can work your problem out together. I'll admit that it would help to talk to someone about it.
On the Line Lately Tom's been more conscientious about the accuracy and quality of his work with the company. He was warned that his job was on the line because of his lack of concern for his duties. When Tom was alerted that he was in danger of losing his job, he began to take his obligations with the company more seriously.
Feel Like a Million Dollars I bumped into Nick at the salon yesterday. He looked great, but I noticed that he had a slight limp when he walked. I guess you didn't know that he had an operation on his knee. No, I didn't. How's he feeling ? He says he's feeling like a million dollars now. Apparently the pain in his knee is all gone. It's good that he's feeling so wonderful. It must be a refreshing change not having to put up with all that discomfort.
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Hang On During the depression years the Smiths had a great deal of trouble with their business, but somehow or other they were able to hang on. Although they almost lost their store, they managed to persevere until things got better.
Make Ends Meet It's almost impossible trying to keep up with the high cost of living. It's true. Things are so expensive nowadays that it's very difficult to make ends meet. You know, even with Lucie's salary, our combined income is hardly enough to pay all the bills.
Money talks We've been waiting for three months to get delivery on our car, and people who put in their order after us have already gotten theirs. Well, money talks. Why don't you try giving the dealer a little something extra to move things along? I know full well that money has the power to influence people, but I refuse to pay extra for a service that is owed to me as a client. If you want to have your car maybe you'd better reconsider.
The Early Bird Catches the Worm Marc, the lines for the rock festival are going to be miles long! If you expect to get tickets for you and Mary, remember that old saying. " The early bird catches the worm " I guess you're right. Mary is looking forward to the concert, and I'd hate to disappoint her. I'll get up real early to get a place at the head of the line. That way I'll get the tickets I want, for sure!
http://www.englishdaily626.com/idioms.php
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Idioms At each other's throats A big hand Break the ice Burn the midnight oil Call it a day Catch-22
Answer the call of nature Brush up on Daylight robbery Deliver the goods Do things by halves Double talk
Child's play Cost an arm and a leg Drink like a fish Get up someone's nose Go Dutch Go over someone's head Hands are tied
Get to grips with Get hitched Give someone the cold shoulder Gut feeling In black and white Whistle in the dark A walking encyclopedia
Look daggers at someone Make a splash On pins and needles On the cheap A peeping Tom Put someone in their place Run up an account Tie the knot To be on the safe side
Turn night into day Toy with the idea Top off / up The telephone is ringing off the hook No picnic Chew the fat Come clean All keyed up A lame duck
Break the ice Our Eskimo in the illustration doesn't seem to understand that to break the ice doesn't mean to knock someone's house down. It means to do something friendly in order to overcome shyness or to ease tension in a social situation. "To break the ice, let's invite our new neighbors to lunch."
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Call it a day "Let's call it a day and go home," Teddy said. Because the person he's addressing doesn't understand the expression, it's up to me to explain that when we call it a day, we stop whatever we are doing, regardless of the time. "After twenty years as a postman, Mr Burr called it a day and retired."
Do things by halves I don't know what's wrong with Mr. Long. He's either lazy or disorganized for he always does things by halves. That is, he does things in a careless and incomplete way. "When I read a book, I do it by halves. I never finish it." Mr. Long said. “I guess I've decorated my house by halves too."
Put someone in their place George made the mistake of criticizing his boss. His boss responded by putting him in his place. When we put someone in their place we punish them, often by telling them in an angry way that their thoughts or opinions are of little importance. "Having been put in his place, I doubt that George will ever criticize the boss again."
On the cheap Things that are cheap are inexpensive. To do something on the cheap is to do it without spending much money. Last summer, for instance, Felix joined a tour to Europe and that it discovered was done on the cheap as the hotels were inexpensive and lunches were from hot dog stands.
Make a splash For several years Gilbert has been studying acting. At last he's ready to appear in a play and make a splash as an actor. When we make a splash, we do something that attracts attention. "Did you see Gilbert in the play last night? He made quite a splash playing Macbeth."
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Hands are tied Angela and Bruce would like to be free to do as they wish. Unfortunately they can't for their hands are tied! When people's hands are tied they are unable to do as they would like. "I'd like to go shopping with you but my hands are tied for I have to stay at the office today," father said.
Go Dutch It takes at least two people to go Dutch for the simple reason that when we go Dutch we share the cost of something, each person paying his or her own expenses. "Hans invited Gretchen to join him for lunch. Knowing he hasn't much money, Gretchen has insisted that they go Dutch."
Cost an arm and a leg Whatever is said to cost an arm and a leg is very expensive. "It cost me an arm and a leg to get my car repaired." "George flew to Austria to go skiing. He said that the trip cost him an arm and a leg."
Catch-22 This expression comes from the title of a book. Situations referred to as catch-22 are unreasonable and unfair in which a person has no chance of winning or succeeding. "If I study medicine, I'll be unhappy. If I study art, my parents will be unhappy. I'm in a catch-22 situation."
Burn the midnight oil Mr. Wilcox works all day and attends school at night. When he goes home he burns the midnight oil by studying until dawn. If you are like Mr. Wilcox and work or study long hours at night, you too can say that you burn the midnight oil.
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A big hand Last night, Fiona was given a big hand at the end of her wonderful performance. Fiona was overjoyed, of course, for a big hand refers to loud and enthusiastic applause. The newspapers say that Fiona performed very well and received a big hand for her role in the play.
Chew the fat After a hard day, Nanook and his friend like nothing better than to sit around a nice warm fire chewing the fat. "Normally we are so busy hunting and fishing that we don't have much time to get together to chew the fat, " Nanook noted. To chew the fat is to have a casual chat or a nice little talk. "Our wives have just gone to one of their friend's igloo to chew the fat", Nanook smiled.
At each other's throats Ian and Alfonso have never gotten along together. As Long as I can remember they've been at each other's throats. That is to say they have always been quarrelling, arguing and - on occasion - fighting. ''We've been at each other's throats so long we've forgotten why we're mad at each other,'' Alfonso said.
Child's play Jaime truly enjoys his new job. It's so easy that he has been able to make child's play of it. Any job or task can be called child's play if the person doing it finds it almost too easy to do or to perform. "Jaime's new job seems like child's play." Helen smiled. "He makes it look so easy."
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All keyed up Teddy has had a terrible day. It began when he overslept and was late getting to school. Then it rained and he got all wet coming home from school. Not only had that he forgotten to study for a history quiz! "Now you know why I returned home all keyed up," he explained. To be (all) keyed up is to be nervous, tense or excited. "That's exactly how I feel," he nodded.
Come clean "We have ways to make you talk," Officer Mutt grinned. "If you don't tell us the truth, I will find a way to make you come clean." Officer Mutt's dog ground his teeth together and agreed. To come clean is to confess or reveal all the facts about something - especially after telling lies or hiding the truth. "I'll come clean if you keep your dog away from me," the criminal cried out.
Give someone the cold shoulder The snowman in this illustration is happy to allow a bird to rest on its cold shoulder ... but that's not what this idiom means. To give someone the cold shoulder is to beunfriendly, usually by ignoring them. "I'm going to give donald the cold shoulder for not inviting me to his party."
Gut feeling Until recently it was considered somewhat vulgar to use the word "gut" when referring to the human abdomen. Gut feeling isn't vulgar, though. It refers to a feeling or an impression that comes from one's innermost self. "I have a gut feeling I shouldn't be here." Wilbur said to himself.
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Get to grips with Kenneth had difficulty adjusting to his new job but he soon got to grips with it. He was uncomfortable living in a strange city but he came to grips with that too. To get/come to grips with (something) is to deal satisfactorily with a problem or a situation that initailly proved difficult or confusing.
Tie the knot Colloquially, when two people get married they tie the (marriage) knot. "Peter and Elizabeth have decided to tie the knot. They make a lovely couple, don't they ?" Also, the person performing the wedding ceremony ties the ( marriage ) knot. The priest at St Teresa's tied the marriage knot for Peter and Elizabeth.
Get hitched Trevor and Janet have known each other since they were children. "You love me and I love you." Janet said one day. "Isn't it time we got hitched ?" Trevor resisted a little, but in the end he and Janet did gt hitched. When people get hitched, they get married.
Drink like a fish I don't know if people are aware of it but Tim drinks like a fish. When a person is described as drinking like a fish, he drinks great quantitles of alcoholic beverages. Not water or cola or lemonade, mind you, but beer, whiskey, wine and other alcoholic drinks ... such as Tim is doing now?
Top off / up Bob and Tim are celebrating. With a bottle in one hand, Tim asks: "May I top your glass up!". "Certainly, old pal, top it off," Bob said. Glug, glug, glug went the bottle as his glass was topped up, for this expression means to fill a partly full container - a glass, a tank, etc. - to the very top with liquid. "Thanks," Bob smiled. "My pleasure," Tim replied.
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A lame duck A person described as being a lame duck is helpless. If he is in a position of authority, he lacks power. " Shirley is such a lame duck. She can't do anything without being supervised. " ( Helpless ). "Harry's term of office ends next year. Meanwhile, he's a lame duck president and none of his plans stands a chance of being acted up. " ( Powerless )
Answer the call of nature Teddy was on a walk in the forest when suddenly -- and without warning -he had toanswer the call of nature. "I really must obey the call of nature." he whispered. Fortunately for Teddy, there was a WC nearby for to answer/obey the call of nature is to go to the bathroom.
Brush up on Professor Oxbridge has been invited to give a talk on the history of his school. He hasn't read anything about it for so long that he'll have to brush up on it. That is, he'll have to refresh his knowledge of it. "There, I've brushed up on the subject." Professor exbridge smiled.
To be on the safe side Those who take extra precautions to reduce or eliminate the possibility of a mistake, an error or even danger are taking measures to be on the safe side. "To be on the safe side Felix always makes certain his valuables are kept in a secure place."
Daylight robbery One day Malcolm went shopping. He was so shocked at the cost of things that he got angry. "These prices are absurd !" he shouted. "It's daylight robbery to change such prices !" What Malcolm was saying was that in his opinion, the prices were so high that shopkeepers seemed to be robbing people of their money.
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Deliver the goods The goods referred to in this idiom mean an expected -- or hoped for -result. "Deliver" means to come forth with. "Now that I've had my car repaired it's running fine and delivering the goods." ( Hoped-for results ) "I knew Sam would deliver the goods once he understood his job. That's why I promoted him." the boss said. (Expected results )
Double talk "I thought I understood you, but now I'm not sure." Patrick complained. "You're speaking double talk!" Double-talk is written or spoken langauge that seems clear and meaningful but, on close examination, proves to be ambiguous and nonsense. Sometimes, but not always, this is done in a deliberate attempt to confuse or mislead people.
In black and white In this idiom, black refers to words and white refers to the paper that they are written on. Very simply, then, when something is in black and white it is written or printed on paper. "Inever sign a contract without first looking carefuly at the conditions in black and white." Leon said.
Whistle in the dark To whistle in the dark means (1) to guess wildly about something or (2) to keep up your courage. "I don't know when the last bus leaves the terminal," Douglas said, " so I'd be whistling in the dark if I said it was at midnight. During the terrible storm, we sat inside the house whistling in the dark hoping it would quickly pass."
A walking enciclopedia An encyclopedia is a book or a series of books containing a wide range of information about many subjects. A person who is a walking encyclopedia issomeone who has a wide rage of information about many subjects. "By the time I finish college, I suspect I will be a walking encyclopedia, "Melissa said as she returned to her studies.
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Turn night into day Robert certainly has strange working habits! But being a genius isn't easy, so when he is in a creative mood he turns night into day. You don't really have to be a genius to turn night into day, though, for this idiom means to stay up at night working or playing, and sleeping during the day. "You just reverse the order of doing things, "Robert explained. “I work all night and sleep until noon."
The telephone is ringing off the hook Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone, but it was the users of telephones who invented this remark. The hook is the cradle on which the receiver rests, and this remark refers to a telephone that is constantly ringing. " Steve won the swimming championship, and ever since his name appeared in the newspapers his telephone has been ringing off the hook.
Toy with the idea Teddy is toying with the idea of studying to be an engineer. That, of course, will be a few years away so he may change his mind between now and then. To toy with an idea is to think of one in an easy, light and speculative manner. "I don't know. I may or may not want to be an engineer," Teddy said. "I'm just tyoing with the idea."
Run up an account Instead of paying cash each time he shops, Mr. Long finds it more convenient to run up an account at the stores where he makes his purchases. To run up an account is to increase the money you owe. You can also run up a bill or a debt, which means the same as run up an account. Mr. Long does this ( very easily, I might add!) by using credit cards.
Get up someone's nose Hubert is unhappy. He's annoyed, too. The cause of it all is Franklin who has got up his nose. That means that Franklin is making a nuisance of himself.... and that's annoying! "Go away," Hubert shouted. "You're getting up my nose today," he growled. This is a British expression.
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Go over someone's head Poor Penelope, Mathematics has never been one of her favorite subjects. she simply isn't able to comprehend it. She often complains that most of what her teacher saysgoes over her head. As Penelope knows, things that are said to go over our heads are too difficult for us to understand.
Look daggers at someone A dagger is a weapon with a short, pointed blade. In fact, daggers look exactly like those things coming from this mother bird's eyes. She is looking daggers at a cat who is threatening her young. To look daggers at someone is to glare at him or her with mean, hostile, angry eyes.
On pins and needles When people are on pins and needles they are either very excited or very anxious. "The children are on pins and needles thinking about their trip to the zoo tomorrow." ( Very excited ) "Mr Singh is on pins and needles wondering if the noise he heard is from his pet cobra which escaped. ( Very anxious )
A peeping Tom When a little boy peeps through fences or windows he is probably just being curious. When a man does the same thing it's often because he has indecent intentions. A man who snoops like that is called a peeping Tom. "The neighbors are convinced that we have a peeping Tom in the area."
No picnic This outing is turning out to be no picnic, "Teddy declared. To say that something - a job or an examination, for example is a picnic is to say it is enjoyeable or easy. If it isunpleasant or difficult, it is described as being no picnic. "It was a picnic getting here," Angela said, " but trying to eat with all these ants around has been no picnic!"
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In this class teacher could not come to class because she was sick, but the principal arrived to the class and told us the values of USA, and besides we saw a video about the values in which I could learn something else about the USA and I liked the values they have.
AMERICAN VALUES Love to family Community Individuality Freedom and independence Justice Democracy Free speech Religious freedom Compassion Diversity Same rights Education ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Today we brought the timeline of who really discovered America? And we presented different topics about Native American, Asians and Black people, and we talked about the different cultures in U.S.A. I had to talk about Native Americans and we knew they were the first people to come USA and then the European arrived to that land and they wanted to be the owners of the Native Americans’ lands and they couldn’t in that time but in this time Native people are becoming the minority and this culture is disappearing.
HOMEWORK Besides, the teacher left homework of Forest Gump´s movie and we have to make a summary including a vocabulary we have to add.
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Who really discovered America?
(1421 B.C.) China -Type of transportation: Chinese Junk -Proof/artifacts found: Rocks in the ocean that seemed to have been man and are said to be those used as anchors to Chinese ships. -Historical event: China built the best ships for sailings. The astronomy was the most important science in that time.
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(455 A.D.) China to California / California to China 1037 years before Columbus -Type of transportation: Body Glove -Historical event: Buddhist Monk travel to what we know as California
(1150 A.D.) Wales 342 years before Columbus -Type of transportation: Saxon Ship -Proof/artifacts found: Archeologists found caves and pottery, and evidence that there were people of mixed heritage. -Historical event: In 1950s they placed a commemorative plaque for the discovery of America, but it was removed Clinker building is a method of constructing hulls of boats and ships. Clinker built / Steering oar /15 sets of rowlocks/ 30 oars.
(1000 A.D) Polynesia 492 years before Columbus -Type of transportation: Ships called Hokuleas in 1970s -Proof/artifacts found: chicken bones in South America and fish hooks. -Historical event: Potatoes were introduced in pre-Columbian times. The Te Puke is a traditional Polynesian voyaging canoe and crab. Polynesian Te Tuke/double hulls/ Crab claw sails/ 1500 feet of Lashing.
(1000 A.D) Scandinavia 492 years before Columbus -Type of transportation: Vikings ships called Knaar. -Proof/artifacts found: A Vikings penny was the only evidence found near the coast -Historical event: The Vikings introduced Butternut Squash to the USA. Viking ship was built like a strong robot. A knar is a type of Norse merchant ship famously Used by the Vikings. Viking Knaar/50 feet / 20 tons of cargo/ 13 knuts
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(530 A.D) Ireland 962 years before Columbus -Type of transportation: Skin Boats called Curragh -Proof/artifacts found: rock carvings/ symbols and stone caves/chambers. -Historical event: Irish Curragh is light skin covered boat. Irish Curragh/wood framework/ skin covered hull/ water tight
(600 B.C.) Israel 2092 years before Columbus -Type of transportation: Roman Ships -Proof/artifacts found: Evidence shows stones found in Tennessee also have Hebrew characteristics. -Historical event: DNA can now track blood types all the way to pre-Colombian times. And Israelites could be descendent of Europeans. Roman ship/ round formed hulls/ thick ribbed/square sail
(22,000 B.C.) North America Clovis Culture 23,492 years before Columbus -Type of transportation: -Proof/artifacts found: Fossils and spears were dated using Carbon 14 and was found evidence of mastodons. -Historical event: Clovis were the first big game hunters of the Paleo-Indian tradition, although they were probably not the first people in the American continents. The first people are tentatively called PreClovis.
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(3044 B.C.) Ecuador 4536 years before Columbus -Type of transportation: -Proof/artifacts found: Evidence shows Japanese introduced pottery and also were found mummified bodies. -Historical event: Mummified bodies found in Ecuador were tested an indeed carried the virus HDLV 1 and when volcano in Japan erupted, the Japanese were forced to move and many of them went to Ecuador.
(2010 B.C.) USA/ Chile 518 years after Columbus -Type of transportation: Boats -Proof/artifacts found: Evidence of human bones were found in Santa Barbara. -Historical event: the skulls that were found seem to have similar characteristics to the Polynesians.
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NATIVE AMERICAN
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Well, last week we were pending to see the presentation about White people, so today we saw this one. We talked about the Hispanic people and we knew they may be the most in USA in the future. Besides, in this class we learned more about American culture because we saw some videos about the American Salad bowl in USA; Uncle Sam and California on stereotypes. HOMEWORK Teacher left a questionnaire about the different cultures we have already seen in Class.
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In this day we brought the questionnaire about all the cultures and remembered every single culture, besides we saw a video about X and Luther; and finally we discuss the movie of Forest Gump and teacher received the homework about this movie. I liked a lot the movie of Forest Gump because he is a good actor and in these scenes are shown all the cultures. In this class we had homework about History of USA, we have to prepare a presentation about it, and I have to talk about the World War I and World War II Teacher is going to send the complete history of USA to prepare the power point presentations to next week. --------------------------------------------------------
Universidad Mariano Gรกlvez de Guatemala Marlyn Jesenia Gรณmez Girรณn Cultura Americana Secciรณn A 11/05/2011
WHITE PEOPLE: 1. Why are White people becoming a minority? White people are becoming a minority because everybody is mixing races these days and there are fewer and fewer of White people than ever before. Add to that the Latin invasion that is overtaking this country and the out of control of birth rates among the blacks- whites are officially the new minority. This is why is more important than ever for whites to recognize this and make a conscious effort to preserve and protect their race, culture, and heritage before it is eventually gone.
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2. How did white people come to America? White people came to America by ships and through Europe. The history of the United States traditionally starts with the Declaration of Independence in the year 1776, but its territory was inhabited by Native Americans since prehistoric times and then also by European colonists who followed the voyages of Christopher Columbus starting in 1492. 3. What is an Americanism? Americanism is a term to characterize the influence of the United States in other cultures around the world. In the past decade it has become in varying degrees a pejorative term meaning that American values have corrupted cultures in other countries. Americanism has different meanings for different people. Its definition depends on one's culture ethnic background, race and upbringing.
ASIAN PEOPLE: 1. What is the difference between Asian culture and Asian American culture? The difference is that the Asian culture is formed from people originated from the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia and the Indian subcontinent. And the Asian American culture comes from Americas of Asian descendant. 2. How did Asians come to America? The first Asians to come to the western hemisphere were Chinese Filipinos who settled in Mexico. Eventually, Filipino sailors were the first to settle in the U.S. around 1750 in what would later be Louisiana. However, the first large scale immigration of Asians into the U.S. didn’t happen until 1848 when gold was discovered in America. 3. How does the Asian culture impact the U.S.? Asian culture impacts the U.S. by his health and medicine. 4. Why is Asian American ethnic group more accepted than any other minority group in the US? Asian American ethnic group was eventually accepted because they were and still are good workers, smart people, and good students. They have always been into philosophy, science, technology, and so forth.
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NATIVE AMERICANS 1. How did Native American people come to America? Well, Native American tradition is that Indians were always here. Most of the scientific evidence is that Indian ancestors came from Asia in prehistoric times, when mammoths and other ancient animals did. This would have had to happen more than 20,000 years ago, when there was still a land bridge there. No human culture has good records of what it was doing 20,000 years ago, so perhaps we're both right. 2. What do Native Americans eat? Native Americans have a very healthy diet of eat fish, venison, and other wild animals. They eat what they need and harvest a lot of their food such as corn, squash and other vegetables. 3. What are some physical characteristics that they have? Many Native Americans have long black hair, dark skin, and dark almond shaped eyes. 4. Where do Native Americans live now-a-days? Many Native Americans live on reservations due to governmental conflicts, and due to them having separate laws. 5. What did Native Americans wear? Many wear normal clothes, but when referring to tradition they wear beaded, skinned clothes, made from animals. 6. How did Native Americans live during Colonial times? Due to technology they live like every day Americans, housing depends on location and tribe. Many lived in long houses or in tipis. 7. Do Native Americans practice religion? Many Indians still believe that many animals are creatures of god and that they are one with earth. They are more spiritual that religious. 8. How are Native Americans perceived economically now-a-days? Indians are one of the poorest races in the United States; many of them do not have little
education.
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LATINOS: 1. What is the difference between Hispanic, Latinos, and Spanish people? Spanish are people from Spain. Latin people are from Europe, Italy, Spain, France etc. Latinos are Latin Americans, and are called Latinos because they don’t only have Spanish blood but may be mixed with any Latin background. But the correct term would have to be Mestizo for people who are mixed with native and Spanish blood...that narrows it down more since all Latinos are different and mixed with different cultures. The term Latino may refer more to a cultural aspect. The Latino culture encompasses multiple characteristics such as language and traditions. The term Hispanic may refer more to the heritage, nationality group or lineage. It can also refer to the person’s country of birth or that of the person’s parents or ancestors before their arrival in the United States. A person who identifies him or herself as Hispanic may be of any race. To be Latino or Hispanic is a matter of ethnicity not race.
2. What is hispanicity? The Hispanidad (Englsh: Hispanicity) is the community formed by all the people and countries that share a common Hispanic heritage and cultural pattern. The 20 nations that are included are all Spanish-speaking countries, including the Philippines which may not have Spanish as the language of the majority, but also possesses a strong Hispanic cultural heritage and traditions despite of being geographically far away from the rest of Hispanic World. 3. How has Hispanic/Latino culture influenced the US? The cultural influence goes from entertainment, sports like soccer, music, food to literature.
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BLACK PEOPLE:
1. What role did Abraham Lincoln play in black history? Lincoln was morally, politically, and economically opposed to slavery. He was the savior to end with the slavery. 2. What was the Emancipation Proclamation? The Emancipation Proclamation is an executive order issued by United States President Abraham Lincoln on January 1, 1863, during the American Civil War using his war powers. It proclaimed the freedom of 3.1 million of the nation's 4 million slaves, and immediately freed 50,000 of them, with nearly all the rest freed as Union armies advanced. The Proclamation did not compensate the owners; it did not make the ex-slaves, called Freedmen, citizens. The Emancipation Proclamation was a dry, legalistic document that was limited in nature but took on enormous symbolic importance. 3. What does it mean to me emancipated? It means to me to be free of some restrictions or some laws that are imposed by people. 4. How did Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X contribute to black culture and history? "King was basically a peaceful leader who urged non-violence to his followers. He travelled about the country giving speeches that inspired black and white listeners to work together for racial harmony." And Malcolm X, for the most part, believed that non-violence and integration was a trick by the whites to keep blacks in their places. He was furious at white racism and encouraged his followers through his speeches to rise up and protest against their white enemies. Malcolm X and Martin Luther King are both remembered as leaders who fought for a difference in black America. 5. What is segregation? Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. In the United States, there were laws passed to stop segregation in the 1960's. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Universidad Mariano Gálvez de Guatemala Marlyn Jesenia Gómez Girón American Culture Section A
This movie tells us about the story of Forest Gump, who is the main actor in this movie, he is a mentally retarded individual but I think he was a very good person. This story is development in the late 1950´s through the 1970´s. Forest suffered in his childhood because all his classmates bothered him at the school, only jenny was his best friend. Forest couldn’t walk very well because he had a trouble with his legs, his mom always said the life is like a box of chocolates and she taught him to choose his destiny. When he was growing he was acquiring some important abilities than any other child had. Forest joined the army for service in Vietnam and there he found new friends called Dan and Bubba. Forest always had been in love with Jenny but she had a very parallel live to Forest. He won medals and other prizes. He was famous because he was the best player in ping pong, soccer and runner. One day his mother died but at the few days Jenny went to visit him and he asked Jenny marry him, and she rejected it so that at the next day Jenny left Forest´s home again, and he was very sad and he decided to run and run and it inspired people to jog. He won a lot of money for all the projects he had in his life, so he decided to donate it to needed people and churches. He had meetings with the president several times. He participated in the war of Vietnam, events of pin pong and soccer championships. He didn’t realize of his abilities. However that was all irrelevant to Forest, who can only think of his childhood sweetheart jenny. Jenny has messed up her life but at the end Jenny married with Forest because she had a Forest´s son, although at the few time he died and Forest stayed alone again only with his son. Forest Gump proves that determination, courage, and love are more important than ability.
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MAIN HISTORIC EVENTS Vietnam War (1960-1973). A main historic event when he met Elvis Presley He was there when Gov. Wallace blocked the entrance to the school during desegregation (1963). Then he met President Kennedy at the White House. (1963) He saved his comrade's lives and was awarded the Medal of Honor. Then he met President Johnson. He got swept into the march on Washington. He was at a Black Panther gathering. He met President Nixon about the Ping-Pong thing. He alerted hotel security to the break-in at the Watergate hotel when Nixon's cronies were trying to find dirt on McGovern. The Democratic headquarters were at that hotel. Then he played Ping-Pong all over the world, esp. China. He was on television and met John Lennon (1971). He survived that hurricane on his "shrimping" boat. Then after he and Lieutenant Dan got Bubba-Gump shrimp started, he was invested in Apple computers. After that, he ran across America a few times.
CULTURAL ASPECTS RELATED TO THE ETHNIC GROUPS Every kind of people recognized intelligence of Forest Gump, including Black Panthers, and they were known for their Communitybased, non-profit research, education, and advocacy center dedicated to fostering progressive social change and who were against the idea to send Black soldiers to war Vietnam. Besides Forest took place with the White people when they realized that Forest was a very good runner, so they invited him to join to the soccer team, in that moment they were a united team. This movie shows many diverse issues based on race, social status and beliefs. This movie has two different ethnics: whites and blacks.
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POP CULTURE INFLUENCE The pop culture influence in the United States and had a great impact in this movie because many recognized icons made the revolutionary moments, so for this reason in that moment it changed the citizen´s opinions. The hippies were arguing for the love and peace and all the fans wanted then love and peace. The way to dress, talk and think was very influenced by pop culture.
VOCABULARY Emigrate: in another Migration: Immigration: country. Pop culture: culture. Salad bowl: Mosaic: Uncle Sam: Melting pot: Stereotype: beliefs, etc.
leave one's own country in order to settle permanently move from one part of something to another. the action of coming to live permanently in a foreign it is what is popular in a country that influences in the mixture of cultures. a mixture of cultures. an icon to represent the United States. sectioning off people based on race, ethnicity, political
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Today we presented the different topics about the history of the USA. But I couldn’t present my topic about World War I and World War II, because my USB didn’t work, so I am pending to next week with this presentation.
HOMEWORK: Next week we will have a quiz.
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COLD WAR
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U.S GROWTH AND TRANSFORMATION
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Today we saw the pending presentations about American Revolution and Independence, and about the World War I and II. But we are pending with the last presentation about the U.S. history. Besides, teacher gave us some additional information to complete the knowledge about U.S. history.
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The Articles of Confederation After winning its independence from Great Britain in the Revolutionary War, the new country situated on the eastern seaboard of North America needed to fashion some form of governmental system. The Articles of Confederation represent the first constitutional agreement made between the 13 American states. There was a need for unity among the new states that were created as a result of the American Revolution. The relative powers of the individual states and the Continental Congress also needed to be defined for the young country. These realities led Congress to entrust John Dickinson with the drafting of a federal constitution. This federal constitution was called the Articles of Confederation and was submitted to the Second Continental Congress on July 12, 1776, 8 days after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
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Declaration of Independence
Drafted by Thomas Jefferson between June 11 and June 28, 1776, the Declaration of Independence is at once the nation's most cherished symbol of liberty and Jefferson's most enduring monument. Here, in exalted and unforgettable phrases, Jefferson expressed the convictions in the minds and hearts of the American people. The political philosophy of the Declaration was not new; its ideals of individual liberty had already been expressed by John Locke and the Continental philosophers. What Jefferson did was to summarize this philosophy in "selfevident truths" and set forth a list of grievances against the King in order to justify before the world the breaking of ties between the colonies and the mother country.
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Constitution of the United States
The Federal Convention convened in the State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on May 14, 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation. Because the delegations from only two states were at first present, the members adjourned from day to day until a quorum of seven states was obtained on May 25. General George Washington was unanimously elected president of the Philadelphia convention.
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Bill of Rights On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States therefore proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution that met arguments most frequently advanced against it. The first two proposed amendments, which concerned the number of constituents for each Representative and the compensation of Congressmen, were not ratified. Articles 3 to 12, however, ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures, constitute the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights.
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Magna Carta As English men and women, the American colonists were heirs to the thirteenth-century English document, the Magna Carta, which established the principles that no one is above the law (not even the King), and that no one can take away certain rights.
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The Agreement of Secrecy, November 9, 1775
Three months after the King declared every rebel a traitor, and with a reward posted for the capture of certain prominent rebel leaders, the delegates to Congress adopted these strict rules of secrecy to protect the cause of American liberty and their own lives.
This document bears the signatures of eighty-seven delegates; thirty-nine signed on November 9, and the other delegates signed as they reported to Congress.
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Emancipation Proclamation President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, declaring that "all persons held as slaves" within the rebellious areas "are and henceforward shall be free." It also announced the acceptance of former slaves into the Union's armed forces. The Constitution grants extended powers to the President during times of war, and although it would not permit the President to interfere with slavery in the states under normal circumstances, it would do so during wartime.
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/charters_of_freedom_8.html http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G2I1edWGhQ4&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/user/TheAudioConstitution?blend=21&ob=5
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If you're American... o
You believe deep down in the First Amendment, guaranteed by the government and perhaps by God.
o
You know how baseball, basketball, and American football are played. If you're male, you can argue intricate points about their rules. On the other hand (and unless you're under about 20), you don't care that much for soccer. You count yourself fortunate if you get three weeks of vacation a year.
o
If you died tonight...
You're fairly likely to believe in God; if not, you've certainly been approached by people asking whether you know that you're going to Heaven. You think of McDonald's, Burger King, KFC etc. as cheap food. You probably own a telephone and a TV. Your place is heated in the winter and has its own bathroom. You do your laundry in a machine. You don't kill your own food. You don't have a dirt floor. You eat at a table, sitting on chairs. You don't consider insects, dogs, cats, monkeys, or guinea pigs to be food. A bathroom may not have a bathtub in it, but it certainly has a toilet. It seems natural to you that the telephone system, railroads, auto manufacturers, airlines, and power companies are privately run; indeed, you can hardly picture things working differently. You expect, as a matter of course, that the phones will work. Getting a new phone is routine. Between "black" and "white" there are no other races. Someone with one black and one white parent looks black to you. You think most problems could be solved if only people would put aside their prejudices and work together. It's not all that necessary to learn foreign languages anyway. You can travel the continent using nothing but English-- and get by pretty well in the rest of the world, too. You think a tax level of 30% is scandalously high. School is free through high school (at least, it's an option, even if you went to private school); college isn't, unless you get a scholarship. College is (normally, and excluding graduate study) four years long.
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Everybody knows that
Mustard comes in jars. Shaving cream comes in cans. Milk comes in plastic jugs or cardboard boxes, and occasionally in bottles. The date comes second: 11/22/63. (And you know what happened on that date.) The decimal point is a dot. Certainly not a comma. A billion is a thousand times a million. World War II was a just war, and (granted all the suffering of course) ended all right. It was a time when the country came together and did what was right. And instead of insisting on vengeance, the US very generously rebuilt Europe instead, with the Marshall Plan. You expect marriages to be made for love, not arranged by third parties. Getting married by a judge is an option, but not a requirement; most marriages happen in church. You have a best man and a maid or matron of honor at the wedding-- a friend or a sibling. And, naturally, a man gets only one wife at a time. Once you're introduced to someone (well, besides the President and other lofty figures), you can call them by their first name.
Contributions to world civilization
You've probably seen Star Wars, ET, Home Alone, Casablanca, and Snow White. If you're under forty, add Blazing Saddles, Terminator, Jaws, and 2001; otherwise, add Gone with the Wind, A Night at the Opera, Psycho, and Citizen Kane. You know the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Elvis, Chuck Berry, Michael Jackson, Simon & Garfunkel, Linda Ronstadt. If not, you know Frank Sinatra, Al Jolson, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Tony Bennett, and Kate Smith. You count on excellent medical treatment. You know you're not going to die of cholera or other Third World diseases. You expect very strong measures to be taken to save very ill babies or people in their eighties. You think dying at 65 would be a tragedy. You expect the military to fight wars, not get involved in politics. You may not be able to name the head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Comics basically come in two varieties: newspaper comics and magazines; the latter pretty much all feature superheroes. You drive on the right side of the road. You stop at red lights even if nobody's around. If you're a pedestrian and cars are stopped at a red light, you will fearlessly cross the street in front of them. You consider the Volkswagen Beetle to be a small car. The police are armed, but not with submachine guns. The biggest meal of the day is in the evening.
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General Conclusion The American Culture is a complete way to describe the different cultures of different countries. American culture has a lot of influence around the world, it has changed people´s mind, and it has influenced a lot on food, fashion, education, music, sport and others. With this work I understood American Culture has been a blend of varied influences of the different tribes and races that have inhabited the place from historical times. America has been the witness and home to different European settlers. At present however, the country, a multi-cultural one, has grown a culture of its own. Apple pie, baseball, and the American flag form the integral part of Culture of USA. Resulting from its strong ties with Britain, the Culture of USA is primarily British. It was because of British influence that English language, legal system was introduced to the country. At present, English language is the official language of the country. There were noted influences from other parts of Europe too as there were a large number of immigrants from different parts of Ireland, Germany, Poland, and Italy. I have learned a lot of things with this class. But I am sure I have to learn more about this great culture. Thanks, Miss Evelyn for all the information you have given us. Universidad Mariano Gålvez de Guatemala
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Bibliography
www.google.com www.wikipedia.com http://www.lifeintheusa.com/people/index.html http://americancultures.pbworks.com/Course-Contents
Besides thanks all the information my friends gave me to complete this work.
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