British Culture Magazine

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CULTURAL

Attitude is a term for feelings and attitudes toward people in the country of the language we

UNDERSTANDING

are learning and one's own country. This

Karen Risager talks about culture and the

stereotypes

importance of giving pupils an intercultural

sympathetic insight in other people’s situation;

competence.

possessing empathy.

importance

Due of

to

having

globalization, an

involves working with ethics, morals, values,

the

and

prejudices,

and

have

understanding

Behavior is a term for knowledge of the cultural

regarding foreign cultures is increasing since

rules. It covers dressing, social skills, and the

we encounter them more frequently.

interaction between the two sexes. It is often a question of what one may not do in the culture

Cultural Understanding

concerned, rather than what one may in one's

Risager divides cultural understanding into

own.

three parts and these are equally important and interdependent. The three are Knowledge,

The Social Interaction

Attitude and Behavior.

She lists a variety of cultural topics and of these;

Knowledge is the term covering the insight into

we will focus on Social Interaction.

the socio-cultural differences that exist in the

It is not enough always to just know about

countries of the language we are learning. It

culture, it is equally important to know about

varies from factual, standalone knowledge to

the unwritten rules of the society in which you

knowledge that requires a deeper insight into

operate. Often, when we talk about culture and

the culture. Examples of these could be; what is

social interaction, we list verbal communication

the name of the currency in Denmark?

as one of the main points. It follows, naturally,

Moreover, why are Danes so competitive in

that the interaction between people would be

sports? Often this is used comparatively

very limited if we were not able to talk.

between two cultures in order to see the

Therefore, talking is an integral part of social

differences. One of the most important points in

interaction, but equally so is the non-verbal

regards to cultural knowledge is that everything

communication. What a single wave means in

is from "The Eye of the Beholder", that is to say

Denmark could mean something else entirely in

that it is a perceived value and as such, varies

Burma. Naturally, it is impossible to know the

greatly from person to person.

non-verbal communication language of every culture on earth, but knowing some of the basic can save a lot of embarrassment.

“

Lingua Franca

Knowledge is the term covering the insight into the socio-cultural differences that exist in the countries of the language we are learning.

There is no doubt that English is the lingua franca of the world as it stands right now. With it comes a lot of English culture, seeping

“ 2


through the language as we use it in our daily

there study the foreign language and culture.

life. Our culture would be vastly different to the

The idea is that through fieldwork the pupils

one we know now if French had been the lingua

seek to put themselves in the position of the

franca and by that, we can extrapolate that

ethnographer, they are to observe and take part

language is a main carrier of all culture. If we

in cultural practice, process attitudes and

abandoned our national language teaching, our

develop appropriate behavior. The result of the

national culture would not necessarily die out.

ethnographic method could prove to be very

Our heritage is our heritage regardless of

productive since the pupils have a good

culture. Nevertheless, our different languages

understanding of the attitudes and behavior of

give a different take on the other languages we

their own country, and this could be attained

learn and if abandoned national language

through this method in a foreign country too.

teaching, some of this would be lost. ‖

Testing culture The main problem regarding the testing of

THE DEVELOPMENT OF

knowledge is that it is easy to fall back on testing knowledge of facts via multiple-choice

ENGLISH

tests. Added to which, there is the question of whether the testing takes place in the native

By Mikkel Schmidt Hansen

language or in the target language. If you test students on their cultural skills it will be very

With only 10% of the world’s population

limited if they are tested in written assignments

speaking English as a native language, what

or at an oral exam. To get a broader result it

right does it have to be the planet’s common

could be more suitable to use role-plays or

language? And furthermore, while this question

testing their knowledge of cultural behavior in

might appear a bit loaded, it is still relevant.

different environments and see their ability to

What right does the English language have to

describe what they experience.

feature so prominently in culture? First of all, it is important to understand the roots, culture

If you test students “ on their cultural skills it

and spreading of English to fully understand

will be very limited if they are tested in written assignments or at an oral exam.

world

why it has become such a dominant force in a that

has

together. Imperialism

moved and

ever

closer

subsequent

colonialism stand out as the two most

important factors as to why English has become the lingua franca of the world.

The Ethnographic Method Risager mentions the ethnographic method, which involves going to the target country and

3


facto language of the U.S but not the de jure.

The Imperial-Colonial Impact

With American culture being so prevalent, it has

Let’s take a closer look to fully understand just

also

how embedded English has become in just

contributed

to

a

much

speedier

advancement of the English language, simply by

about any culture and society. An excerpt that

America being

really stuck with me was from Chinua Achebe in

a

melting

languages and cultures.

an article featured in Jennifer Jenkins’ World

pot

One wonders

of what

would’ve happened if the Founding Fathers had

Englishes.

chosen English as the official and only language of the U.S.

There are not many countries in Africa today where you could abolish the language of the

Lingua Franca, Contrôle Appelé or Queen’s

erstwhile colonial powers and still retain the

English?

facility for mutual communication.

Withdrawing to known locations, in the writer’s

Extrapolating on that and offering a different

case this would be Denmark, the consequences

angle, we have Kenyan author Ngugi wa

of this developing and encompassing language

Thiong’o:

is fascinating to witness. In a country where

In Kenya, English became more than a language:

English is a secondary language, but a primary

it was the language, and all others had to bow

language in regards to culture, English moves

before it in deference.

ever closer to my mother tongue and sometimes the lines can appear blurry at best. English is

What this

shows,

is

two

different

merging with other languages simply because it

examples on how English prevailed, in this case

is such a dominant cultural force and many kids

in two colonies. However, the point still stands

these days know a lot of English words and

that it rushed in as a new meta language, a new

phrases even before they speak their native

tower of Babel so to speak. It unified in Nigeria

language fluently.

where it became the new standard for means of communication, while it forced its position in

Henry Widdowson raises an interesting

Kenya through the power of the British Empire.

point about the ownership of English. The fact

But as imperialism and colonialism waned in

that English has spread so far and wide has

the wake of the Second World War, a new

yielded the result that neither the Americans

champion for English speaking culture stood

nor

ready: The United States of America. As the

native English-speaking country) are in control

global power of England diminished, a gap was

of their language anymore.

filled then by American culture which soared

the

British

(or

any

of

the

other

Consequences

through the 50′s, 60′s and 70′s and even more as the world got closer together with the

But what does this mean for the development of

introduction of the internet and cable television.

English? Well, first of all it means that English is

What is interesting is that English is only the de

on its way to evolving to something more than

4


just a language. It is beginning to cement its

will be something that I will have to get used to.

status as the world’s native language and all the

Where we can guide the development of English

developments we can see happening all around

is in its core. Knowledge of the language and

us, whether it be online or in a rural part of

making sure that our pupils know that it is

India, are merely distinctive dialects. This is

spelled you and not u, that it’s spelled your and

already something that we can see happening

not ur is fundamental. If we can do that, we can

right

the

rest easy in the knowledge that we can’t, nor

abbreviations that have become words in their

should, force our version of English upon our

own right. Whereas, before, they were used to

students. The time for static teaching has

convey a state of mind or a certain emotion

neared its end. English, as well as other

like laughing

my

languages, will continue to develop regardless

god, LOL and OMG respectively, they are now

of personal opinion. And in the end, we are not

being pronounced as words with a meaning of

the

their own.

despite the wish of some we are first and

now

with

the

out

internet

and

loud or oh

self-proclaimed

guardians

of

English,

foremost English teachers.

But to us as teachers, what will be the real challenge here? Some might argue that English

People will try to communicate by any

is slowly fragmenting into miniature languages

means possible and the adherence to the old

of their own. While this is definitely true, it

school of grammar sentence construction might

doesn’t have

outcome.

be a thing of the past. As stated in a

Languages evolve and have done so since we

Newsweek article about the efforts to create a

first opened our mouths and struggling against

global language. Indeed, Esperanto seems

it is a Sysiphosian task. What we should do is

perfect for a modern age, when global barriers

adapt to it and embrace the changes that arise.

are being torn down by free trade, immigration

There might be one or two English teachers out

and the Internet – and where activists,

there

a

hobbyists and intellectuals across the globe are

“bastardization” of the language that they love

communicating like never before. Considering

so much but what they might be forgetting is

the fact that this article was written back in

that

practicing

2003, this is directly applicable to English.

Shakespearian English. Doth thou protest too

English has taken the role of Esperanto and in

much? I think we do.

doing so, created a life of its own.

who

they

to have negative

vehemently

themselves

will

aren’t

oppose

The Future We have established that we as English teachers have somewhat of a challenge ahead of us. The development of English shouldn’t be stymied. I will be the first to admit that I get the chills when someone pronounces LOL or OMG, but it

5


though the empires are crumbling the language remains in use in many of the countries once governed by Great Britain or USA. Another

DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH

factor worth mentioning is the economic

By Tina Skov Jones

language, according to Crystal “the USA’s

Years ago while I was sitting at a diner in

dominant economic position acts as a magnet

Augusta, GA, the waitress asked me “Whacha

for international business and trade” and

waant, hun?” in a broad southern accent. I must

therefore most business transactions and

have looked like a complete question mark as

correspondence take place in English.

my companion quickly translated the question

Take Europe for example – according to an

into “normal” English for me thus enabling me

article written by Jennifer Jenkins, “Bringing

to place my order. This experience has stayed

Europe’s lingua

with me for many years now and even though

in the Guardian 19 April

my understanding of various English accents

2001 – here she states that “a European variety

has increased, it still baffles me that a universal

of English, sometimes labeled Euro-English, is in

language can be spoken in so many different

the process of evolving to serve as a

ways making it hard to understand each other.

European lingua franca”. She goes on to say in a

English is being taught in almost every country

later article “The Changing Role of English in

in the world, either as a primary language or as

Europe”, that

a secondary language. In Europe it has evolved

The positioning of English (or Euro-English as it

into the “de facto lingua franca” according to

is increasingly being labeled) as Europe’s

Jennifer Jenkins in World Englishes, 2003. But

primary lingua franca is so recent that it is too

why should we teach our students English?

soon to be able to say with any certainty

There are many reasons why English is

whether it will remain so, how it will develop,

important

language,

and whether it will expand to become fully

historical, political, economical, and the list goes

capable of expressing social identity as well as

on according to David Crystal in his The

performing a more transactional role in politics,

Cambridge

business and the like.

as

an

international

Encyclopedia

of

the

reasons for maintaining English as a global

English

franca into

the

classroom”

Language. He states that there are several

Therefore, it remains to be seen whether a new

reasons why English should be taught, however

version of English will emerge in Europe, but

the simplicity of the language is not one of them,

there are strong indicators that this will happen,

on the contrary. English is not an easy language

as languages tend to evolve over time and

to learn to speak or write, but it continues to be

renew themselves with the arrival of new

the language chosen to communicate in across

technology and ways to communicate. English is

the world. Historically speaking, English has

a flexible language that is constantly adapting to

been used in many countries “because of British

the world it is being used in.

or American imperialism” says Crystal and even

6


English is a world language as it is constantly

students learn to communicate with people

being used all over the globe on products, in

from all over the globe and it is wonderful to

ads, names of stores, and many other places. It

know that we can contribute to the future of

almost seems like using English adds a bit of

their global understanding by helping them

authenticity to the item, however sometimes

acquire the skills to get to know each other

the translations from the native language into

across borders, even if they do not initially

English can become problematic and the end

speak the same language. English is their

result not quite as anticipated. In his book

common denominator and hopefully it will

(Mother Tongue (1990) Bill Bryson gives a few

remain that way for a long time.

examples of humorous translations: “In Hong

In addition, maybe one day a student of mine

Kong you can find a place called the Plastic

will have the opportunity to sit in a restaurant

Bacon Factory. In Naples, according to the

somewhere in the world and understand the

Observer, there is a sports shop called Snoopy’s

waiter or waitress without any problems and

Dribbling, while in Brussels there is a men’s

have a delicious meal chosen from a menu

clothing store called Big Nuts”. These names

written in English even if the population of the

clearly have not been invented by a native

country does not originally speak English. What

speaker, which points to the importance of

a marvelous time we would live in where we

teaching English in schools so such mistakes can

could all talk to one another no matter what our

be avoided.

mother tongue might be.

As an English teacher in the tiny country of Denmark, the importance of teaching my

students to speak and write English is very crucial as they will not be able to communicate

ENGLISH AS THE LEADING

with people in other countries without a

WORLD LANGUAGE

common language. English is the obvious choice for young people today because of the digital

By Rasmus Hedegaard Kristensen

world they live in. Almost all the popular platforms used today are in English, even if

Bush and Blair have become Esperanto’s best

some, like Facebook, offer other language

friends.

options. However, most of the music, video games, movies, and so forth that young people

The statement really gives you an idea

like are in English, and as such, English is

about world language and also which language

gaining in popularity among them. They learn

and persons that are at the front of the pack

from

power wise. The world language is very

being

entertained,

sometimes

even

without knowing it.

much dependent on which country has the most

This “back door” method of learning a language

power. The United States of America obviously

should not be underestimated, it happens to us

has the most influence of the western countries

all every day, and we should rejoice in it. Our

and Chinese people have the most influence in

7


the eastern regions of the world, hence the

(1960-1970’s) that was inferior? Was is just her

huge technological and economical

influence

class/school that had a very low level of

they have. When speaking about Esperanto

knowledge regarding foreign languages, or was

though, the majority of the speakers still live in

it perhaps because of there being less focus on

Europe where the language was invented by

learning other languages versus today? Where

Ludovic Zamenhof who were a Jewish doctor,

you almost have to know at least one foreign

linguist and the creator of Esperanto. Back

language (most cases English) to being able to

when he invented the language he had a goal.

do certain things in life. Nowadays it is popular

Which was to invent a language that was easy to

to buy/trade and get rid of things, on the

learn, and a language everybody could speak.

internet. A common site would be eBay.com.

But is it really that easy to just invent a language

Also to buy clothes or other stuff on the Internet

and assume people will adopt it and start to

is very trendy. Most of the pages that are good

speak it? In this article I will try to state some of

are also started in foreign countries. And I don’t

my opinions and views on the entire thing.

think the

English, and up to 10 times easier to learn than

English

differences

English

language

will

continue

its

and

The very fact that English is an international

difficulties in understanding. That being said,

language means that no nation can have custody

Esperanto never really became popular, and

over it and is it the right way to be cooperative

today

doesn’t

and non-selfish in almost anything in this

fact,

world? Imagine if the British people was

the majority of the people who tend to speak it

claiming custody over their language as the

today, "are throwbacks from the cold-war era".

French people that claimed custody over the

It takes hard work and dedication! People

word “Champagne”. If they were thinking like

sweat, bleed and shed tears over how hard

that, then what language may we have spoken

languages can be to learn in schools, and I

today?

it

the

the

Custody over a language?

Russian". The problem, nowadays, with learning is

of

“domination” so to say.

“The language is 5 times easier to learn than

languages,

expansion

language will stop, on the contrary, I think that

Brilliance? Madness? Just Esperanto.

other

that the

really

have any significant popularity.

In

believe that a huge number of ordinary people,

Is it on purpose or is it obvious?

feel that even English can be very hard to speak and learn.

It isn’t all just happy times for the British people though. It is fine that they invented the

My mother has huge troubles learning

language, but was it really on purpose that

other languages. And many people in her social

it is spread this far? When you are new to this

circle have difficulties as well. I ask myself

world, then you start to learn how to walk, how

about whether it was the educational model of

to speak and such. Obviously you are raised to

learning English back when she went to school

speak

8

the

language

your

parents

are


speaking. Since there were so many British

colonies around the world, could it then be that the world simply were speaking English from

WORLD ENGLISH, WORLD

the beginning, and then didn’t have a decision to make?

ENGLISHES

My point is that they had colonies in By Henriette Møllebjerg Laursen

all sorts of places around the world. From India to Africa and Africa to America. Those are very

As English teachers, we find importance in

big countries and continents, which without a

structuring lesson plans, so that all of our

doubt have a huge word to say in the language

students will learn English by our teaching.

debate. They are a large population and

English has many definitions, and the question

therefore it's impossible not to have an effect.

is which type of the English language we should

Then, what have we learned from this article? I

be

think that an entire language isn’t just

teaching

in

the

future.

The

English

language,the language is a combination of

something you can invent and then apply over a

different spoken native languages??. Meaning

short period of time. There simply has to be a

that the native language is a mixture of British

deeper purpose beind the language itself. And of

English, Indian English, Spanish English. But is

course I also believe that the big countries and

the language mixture a problem? As a teacher

populations in the world obviously have a word

you need to give students tools to learn English.

to say in the language debate and of course they

Language which consist of correct spelling,

will always be more “popular” than Danish as a

grammar and understandable spoken English,

language for example. There is a reason why

so the students in the future will be able to

English is such a powerhouse language wise in

communicate globally by speaking English.

the world. It all has a purpose, and that’s why

Furthermore it is also important to give them an

there is so much English in the world, and not

overall picture of the differences in cultures, so

so much Esperanto.

they understand people’s cultures and where the English language really comes from. It is a relevant subject for teachers to discuss.

In The Changing Role of English in Europe, professor Jennifer Jenkins, Director of the Centre of Global English, Southampton, claims that European English in the future is going to be as common as British English, and any of the other mixtures of English, French English, Danish English, Dutch English will be used as much as British English is today. She defines

9


what European English is, “those uses of English

is going to disappear into meaningless skeptical

that are not British (and not American or

sounds, if the offshoots and outgrowths of

Canadian or Australian or any other native

English are being taught in school. Broken

variety) but are distinctly European and

English does not have the same quality as

distinguish European English speakers of other

proper English. If the broken English is being

(English) varieties.” Jenkins gives an overall

taught in school, the world will go back to the

perspective of what the different nationalities

Babel Tower. “As the language spreads, there

speak. She defines the different types of the

are bound to be changes out on the periphery;

English language by calling it the European

so much can be conceded. But these changes

English. According to her, European English is

must be seen not only peripheral but as radial

the new way for Europeans to use the English

also, and traceable back to the stable center of

language, and no longer the Standard English.

the standard. If this center does not hold, things

So how can we teach students correct English?

fall apart, mere anarchy is loosed upon the

In The ownership of English, Henry Widdowson,

world. Back to Babel” Widdowson explains

Professor of English and linguistics, explains

what is going to happen if we do not keep

how we should teach students proper English,

proper English in schools. It is basically used in

because of the language’s5 background and

international communication, science, finance

history, which originally is from England6. “The

and business. It is acceptable that these

language and the people are bound together by

communities or secondary cultures, which are

both morphology and history. So they can

under concerns are allowed to fashion up the

legitimately lay claim to this linguistic territory.

language to their circumstances and to their

It belongs to them”

needs. We must face the fact that language is naturally unstable and can be changed, and new

Offshoots and outgrowths

words can be adopted.

Englishmen brought the language with them, so

Pukka

they claimed rights of the language and therefore their way of speaking English is

Widdowson

correct. Widdowson also claims that there are

refreshing way to say that someone has done a

other kinds of English. He defines them as

good job “you have done a pukka job!” the

offshoots and outgrowths of the original

British adopted it. Therefore other languages

language. According to him this definition are

can also adopt some of the British words. New

not real or proper English. These other kinds of

experiences in the language give a better

English cannot disappear. 8 His message is to

understanding towards other languages, and we

inform people to learn the proper English

will be able to communicate with people on the

language, instead of speaking “broken” English9

other side of the world. 12By experiencing the

“For the English still cling tenaciously to their

new words, we find a meaning with them.

property and try to protect it from abuse” Using

Explore a dictionary with the students, find

the verb abuse he declares that proper English

words that they do not know, make them

10

mention

the

word

pukka

a


understand the words, so they can use them in a sentence. “English is called upon to carry the weight of all kinds of experience, much of it very remote indeed from its ancentral home” by that quote Widdowson means that the English language will receive new kinds of words from different countries. As we know there are already a lot of words, which are similar to other countries’ words. In the text “America – the Melting Pot” which is a text from 1897, a woman wants a divorce, and she has written a letter to a lawyer. Many of the words are similar to the English language when you read them out loud, but by looking at the words you will find many mistakes. It is important to teach students the differences and similarities between the native

spoken

language

and

the

proper

language. The woman who wrote the letter had been influenced by speaking and listening to the American language, but she has not learned how to write it down. Therefore it is very important to learn how to spell and set up correct grammar. The term “Melting pot” is used to illustrate the fact that people from different

Visit Britain!

countries are being melted together. We as teachers have to prevent that this happens to the English language. My opinion is

Low Airfares from:

that our focus is set on teaching students

2nd of June to 20th of June

correct grammar and giving them both formal

4th of August to 10th of August

and informal vocabulary, so that they will get a better understanding of the differences in the

For more information, visit:

English language. Students should research

www.visitbritain.com

different cultures, and by that they will gain a better understanding of the global world that we are living in.

11


Then he would smile at me and continue

with his chores and we would continue:

THE CHICKENS DISASTER

– Mr. Garret, how many cylinders does your

By Mikkel Schmidt Hansen

new car have?

When I look back upon my childhood, I find it

And Mr. Garret would answer appropriately.

riveting in a way I couldn’t appreciate back

In many ways, Mr. Garret served as my

then. My family and I lived next door to the

international father figure. He would have the

Garrets, a family emigrating here from England

answers my old pop couldn’t provide. But being

and for as long as I can remember, I looked

a Maori living next to a Paheka family was also

upon them fondly. It was as if they came from

troublesome at times. We were proud people,

another world, filled with knowledge of the

easy to love but hard on forgiveness. They were

world that we didn’t possess. I soon learned

more reserved, but to their credit, did a great

that my older siblings’ boundless curiosity of

job of trying to fit in. Looking back on it, I can

their new neighbors irked Mr. James Garret, the

see that they did their best with the lot of us

lord of the manor, as we would affectionately

Rickham kids. I, more than my siblings, had

call him. I was afraid that they would scare him

grown accustomed to seeing them as a sort of

away and with that, take away the only thing

second family, and a thing that haunts me even

that could sate my childish need for knowing

to this day, was when I broke the fragile trust

the known unknown. I decided, then, to take

that existed between me and Mr. Garret:

things into my own hands. I would seek out Mr. Garret when he did his gardening, always

- You can check out the henhouse if you want,

keeping a respectful distance, but never shying

Jimmy, just be sure not to go inside please.

away from asking questions. The trick was, I soon found, to ask him questions that he

But my curiosity was too great and indeed, in

enjoyed answering. Questions about gardening,

this instance, curiosity killed the cat. I snuck in

cars, sheep, England and his precious henhouse

late one night to look inside and see the hens.

always secured me more than the standard yes

One of them weren’t at her nest and the eggs

or no answer. It would go:

just lay there, freshly laid. As I tried to pick them up, they shattered between my fingers.

- Mr. Garret, when you built your henhouse, what

kind

of

wood

did

you

Mortified, I ran home. I saw Mr. Garret later that

use?

night,

- Well, at first I thought I would use oak, but

confronting

my

mother

with

the

destruction of his eggs. I looked at him from

then I decided that birch was a much cheaper

behind the safety of my mother and I knew that

and more practical.

he was aware that I was the culprit and to this day, ever fearful of my mother’s wrath, I’m eternally grateful that he didn’t tell her.

12


“See you later”, “Have a nice day”, “Take some nice pictures” and other niceties would follow

THE CHICKENS DISASTER

the Dunnes as they drove off.

By Tina Skov Jones

Then the Parata children would wander into

Harold Parata did not believe in regrets, in his

the Dunnes’ yard while the family was absent,

opinion that was a waste of time. If you lived

they would go explore all the wonderful and

your life regretting things you have done

exiting things in the neighboring yard.

earlier, you just end up missing all the

Mrs. Dunne was raising chickens, not just

wonderful things happening around you every

any chickens, no these were Sultan chickens

day. Therefore, Harold tried to live every day as

from Turkey, and Mrs. Dunne was very proud of

if it was the last day of his life and enjoy it to the

her chickens, especially right now, as they had

fullest.

finally laid their very first eggs. Mrs. Dunne would check on her chickens several times

However, there was one thing he did regret although he tried not to think about it too often.

every

This thing happened when he was just a small

neighborhood children to stay away from the

child living in Gisborne on the northern island

chicken coop.

of New Zealand.

day

and

had

explicitly

told

the

Well, Harold thought the chickens were the

Back then, his father, mother and five

most exiting creatures he had ever seen with

siblings lived in a neighborhood of mainly

their feathers hanging down in front of their

British immigrants. Usually this did not present

eyes and hanging around their feet like pants.

any problems, unless something went missing

He could not wait to see what the baby chickens

or ended up broken and then the Parata

would look like once they hatched.

children inadvertently became

the

prime

Harold would sneak over at least once a day

suspects.

to peek into the coop to see if the baby chickens in

had arrived and this Sunday was no exception.

particular; he had named it “the Chickens

As soon as the Dunne family left in their smart

Disaster” and it happened one sunny Sunday in

automobile Harold raced across the grass and

January. Harold was only 7 years old and the

jumped over the fence into the Dunne’s yard.

second youngest of the six Parata children.

His older brother yelled after him:

Harold

This

remembered

particular

one

Sunday

incident

the

“Hey, where are you going in such a hurry” and

next-door

Harold replied, “None of your business”.

neighbors, the Dunne family, consisting of Mr. and Mrs. Dunne and their two daughters, Emily

He ran behind the house and down to the

and Winnie, had gone on their usual afternoon

coop at the end of the backyard and peered into

outing. Harold and his siblings would always

the murky coop, but today, for some reason, he

wave at the departing Dunne family:

could not see anything, maybe because the sun 13


was extremely bright that day, so Harold decided to be adventurous and sneak into the coop to get a closer look. He looked around to

THE CHICKENS DISASTER

see if anyone was watching him and as the coast

By Henriette Møllebjerg Laursen

was clear, he tiptoed into the forbidden lair. My memory of my family was both sweet and Shortly after, he burst out and ran home as

bitter. We used to play with the kids from the

fast as his short legs could manage.

other side of the road. It was a time where the others were very much different from us. We

That same evening Mrs. Dunne showed up at

were a lot of kids in the house, and our mother

the Parata’s front door shouting:

took good care of us. I had many siblings. Even

“Who broke my eggs? I know it was one of your

though we were some years apart, we could

unruly kids”

play for hours. We played with the chickens in the henhouse, it was just as if we were a whole

Mr. Parata had all the kids line up in front of

family.

Mrs. Dunne and said:

Sometimes I found some eggs, behind some

“I do not believe any of my kids would do such a

white feathers, which had a different color.

thing, Mrs. Dunne. However, if you can prove

These eggs were different from the other eggs.

which one of them did it, I will gladly punish the

The eggs were almost golden and shining,

guilty one.” He looked at his children and said,

because of the reflection from the sun. Shining

“Ok, if one of you did it speak up, and mind you,

as if a bright lamp ht the eye. I was torn by a

speak the truth or don’t speak at all!” The

choice, weather to give the eggs to the owner of

children all looked at each other and did not

the henhouse or to keep them for my family; I

utter a word.

knew that I was the good boy in the family. The

To this day Harold regrets not having spoken

neighbors did not see me as a rebel. My Family

up and told Mrs. Dunne how he had found the

didn't have a lot of money. We came from the

eggs broken and Emily’s hair bow on the floor

poor side, the family who owned the henhouse

of the chicken coop, as having to spend the

had a lot of money. The kids in their family

following four Sundays cooped up inside with

seemed to be spoiled. They had picnic's on

his brothers and sisters was the worst

Sundays and they did not have any financial

punishment of his life.

issues. I remember that I had the eggs in the palms of my hands, and I felt a cold and evil wind

British Culture is looking for new, talented writers. Feel the need for a new adventure? Write and submit your application to RHK@BRITISHCULTURE.CO.UK

blowing on me. I was alone in the henhouse, all by myself and then I started thinking about how angry I really was.

14


I didn't feel appreciated and deserving a good future. I looked at red the hen; it looked confused with a bit of fire in its eye and I asked

THE CHICKENS DISASTER

it:

By Rasmus Hedegaard Kristensen

“What can I do with these eggs little hen?”

When I look back at the early stages of my life; I can’t seem to forget one specific Sunday when I

The hen didn't notice, it kept a straight face.

was

It was raining outside. Suddenly I heard a knock

a

little

boy. The

day started as

any

other day with an early visit to the church. But

from the outside.

after that, nothing turned out as expected. I

It felt that my heart stopped beating, and my

lived in a house along with my mother, my

hands tightened hard around the eggs. The next

father and my 5 siblings. Our neighbors, the

thing I remember was that my hands were wet

Petersons, were a family we liked to a

and yoke. I felt a cold breeze on my hands. It

certain extent. Did they like us? That’s another

was all a huge disappointment to me that I

question entirely.

could not hold my anger back. My fingers were

My siblings and I were often playing with

slimy, and hands were cold. This day today I’m

each other, and occasionally, we also played

just grey and old. Sometimes I think of that day

with the kids next door. It was very easy for us

in the henhouse and it makes me wonder; if I

to do, because of a small fence being the only

had walked away, nobody would have been

thing to separate our properties. We had a very

mistrusting my siblings.

healthy and child-friendly environment. With that being said, my siblings and I often tended to be on the warpath with the Petersons. The reason why I

remember this Sunday, in

particular, is that this was the day it escalated. The Peterson family had a henhouse in their garden; they were patiently waiting for the hens to lay their eggs. There had been some controversies already this particular day, and apparently the controversies weren’t about stop just yet. I remember being sick this day as well with the flu getting the better of me. Out of a sudden, however, I heard my mom and Mr. Peterson in a verbal altercation. I walked down to the living room in order to listen closer to what happened.

15


The first thing I heard is Mr. Peterson

had laid some eggs; I was just so ecstatic and excited that I accidently broke the eggs! I really

say, “Those kids have been into my hens again.”

can’t tell you why I did it; it all just happened so

And after I heard that; I immediately felt bad.

fast..”

I knew why Mr. Peterson was that mad. The reason was that Maria had finally laid eggs, and

The

following

seconds

were the

most

the major part those where broken. I knew

thrilling seconds in my life. Luckily Mr. Peterson

that; because I was the one breaking the eggs.

later accepted my apologies, and we all moved on. Believe it or not, this incident actually made

After a longer verbal exchange of non-

our bond stronger; family to family, neighbor to

pleasant words between Mr. Peterson and my mom; there

was

a

very

bad vibe

neighbor.

in the

neighborhood. I knew I had the responsibility in regards to restoring the good mood again. The next day, I decided to go over to the Peterson household, even though my mom specifically told us that it was forbidden. I went over there and knocked shallowly on the door, “Uhm.. Hi, Ms. Jackson..” I stuttered. “Hi Jimmy. Are you here to see Simon?” she asked. “Uhm.. yes, I am, Ms. Peterson. To be honest, I think I have something to tell him..” She nodded, “I’ll go get him then, Jimmy.. Just come in.” Mr. Peterson entered the room and walked straight towards me. I felt very anxious, the sweat running down my temples and I was literally shaking. “Hi Jimmy. My wife told me you have something you wanted to say to me?” “Well, yes I do.. You see Mr. Peterson, yesterday in

the

early

morning, I

went

over

to

your henhouse and went in. I saw that Maria

16


LETTER TO THE EDITOR (C) LETTER TO THE EDITOR (C) By Mikkel Schmidt Hansen

By Tina Skov Jones

As a person of no ethic relation to the

I thought this movie hilarious, it has been a long

movie East is East and as a person with no

time since I laughed so much while watching a

religious affiliation what so ever, I find myself in

movie, and yet it touched on some very serious

an objective position when commentating on

subjects such as intercultural marriages, how to

this movie. At first, I was hesitant in liking the

raise children born of such marriages and

movie. I was expecting a contemporary British

abuse.

movie along the lines of The Full Monty or Billy

The characters are very stereotypical and at

Elliot, humorous with a twist of realism. It was

the same time very human and believable. The

what

socio-religious

spoken language of the movie was atrocious and

furnish. East is East is not afraid to get its nails

harsh, George calling all his children bastards,

dirty, it has the British charm but not at the

which from a western standpoint they are, as

expense of believability. It tackles the clash of

they are born from a second wife and he is still

culture in a family of conflicting values but a

married to his first wife. The everyday life of the

family that belong together despite everything.

Khan family shows the struggle of balancing

There’s no beating around the bush though, this

between two worlds. George with his Muslim,

movie depicts what many in Britain only see

Pakistani culture from his homeland and the

through

with

British culture of his adopted country is

immigrations and cultural clashes between

constantly struggling to convert his entire

different ethnicities are prominent in the movie

family to his way of living, but most of the

and this is even when the different ethnicity is a

children choose to reject the old ways of

former British colony.

Pakistan and live like Brits. Ella is the backbone

I

got,

the

but

news.

with

The

a

problems

of the family and the one person that ties it all

Even though the movie is set in the 70s, the

together. Without her, the family would fail

issues are still ever present in our society.

miserably and she knows it, she is one strong

Congratulations are in order to the movie for

woman! Her character is an inspiration to

being able to tackle such a tense topic with

anyone attempting to bridge the gap between

elegance and personal presence. It even deals

two worlds in a marriage.

with homosexuality as if religious conflicts

Then there is the issue of spousal abuse,

weren’t enough! I feel for Mr. Khan and while

which in my opinion is never acceptable in

not condoning his actions, I can understand his

whatever culture, but in this case, it also shows

fear of losing the only thing he has remaining

the strength of character that Ella does not shut

from his country, the culture and habits.

herself away but shows off her bruises like badges. However, there is a lot of hitting and

17


violent treatment of the various characters in

two cultures in the same house. Mr. Khan is an

this movie that I find excessive but this is an

example towards the cultural encounters

issue that does not relate to culture it happens

because of is eager in being a good muslim. In

everywhere.

my opinion the Movie is a fun way to show how

Overall, I would recommend this movie to my

families can be split a part and what happens in

friends and would even watch it again myself.

the family stays inside the family. All in all watch the movie and you will end up laughing.

‖ ‖

LETTER TO THE EDITOR (B) By Henriette Møllebjerg Laursen

LETTER TO THE EDITOR (A)

I am offended by those who criticize the plot

By Rasmus Hedegaard Kristensen

and the message with this movie, who in the

Dear editor.

world can be able to criticize the movie ”East is East”? The movie is relevant to understand

“East is East” is in many ways a rather

different cultures. It can show how culture

controversial movie. The movie sums up many

clashes can happen. The movie starts with a

of the known cultural issues, and really

islamic wedding, which make the introdution to

showcase them from the toughest and most

the family very open.

frightening way possible. It has it all. It brings up all sorts up stuff as arranged marriage and

You will quickly be aware of that the family

homosexuality.

in someway is living two lives, a life of a pakistanic and a life as an English man. The

I expected the movie to be a comedy movie

movie is cute and fun.

with some rather funny scenes, but as it turns out, the movie is more than that. Yes the movie

The part where the siblings are home alone,

may be a bit controversial and a bit gritty, but

they all sit in the livingroom being messy and

why start a riot about it? Yes, the movie makes a

eating lots of pork and bacon, but then they all

bit of fun about the whole pre-arranged

jump up when they see that their papi is on his

marriage thing, and yes it makes a bit fun of

way home, the house is in a hurry. The movies

homosexuality, but is there anything wrong

message is that you should appriciate your

with that? On the back of the movie cover it says

family and the culture you come from might not

“Comedy Drama” so what did you expect? It’s

bet hat important when you are an immigrant.

not like you can be surprised when you look at

I know that not every immigrant is like

the front of the cover either? It’s a bit shame

George Khan. But the movie shows that side of

that some people react in this way. Why always

cultural differences where we see problems

look at the serious and controversial way of

happen in a family and the fact that there are

things, instead of just sitting back in a chair and

18


enjoy as rather amusing and funny movie, as I would judge “East is East” to be. Unfortunately, some people will always be look at the downs, instead of the ups in all kind of different topics, but I assure you on thing – I can’t look down on this movie. In my opinion the movie has a great context between seriousness and amusement. And I think in many ways, or certainly in some ways it is not far from reality.

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