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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
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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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