Throughout this class, I have learned a lot about intercultural communication and about my own communication abilities. First of all, I have learned to analyze our society and how different cultures relate to our society. As a member of the dominant culture both racially and economically, I hadn't really considered how much of our society (including our historical texts and media) is dominated by white culture. This class made me realize that I need to spend some time studying and learning about other cultures. I also gained a better understanding of how minority cultures relate to and are a part of our society. By understanding power structures in the U.S., I can better understand the issues minorities face every day. I will never completely understand what it means to be a minority in America, but I feel that this class has given me some understanding which will help me be a better communicator. Before judging someone from another culture, I will now try to understand how they view the world and the issue at hand. My view of the world is not necessarily right, and in the future I will listen to people from other cultures and try to understand their points of view as well. In addition to understanding other cultures, this class and the daily activities have helped me understand and appreciate my own culture. I've learned that I can love my culture and still appreciate other cultures and communicate with other cultures.
Not only have I learned to try understand other cultures, I've learned a lot about communicating with other cultures. I've learned that my way of communicating is not the only way and is not necessarily correct. Before this class, I had never learned about different communication styles, such as high context and low context communication or the various ways people deal with conflict. I am now able to understand and recognize different communication styles, which will make me a better communicator. If I am having trouble communicating with someone from a different culture in the future, I will try to recognize our communication styles to determine if these styles are causing the problem.
Although this class has given me a better understanding of intercultural communication and the issues surrounding it, I am by no means a perfect communicator. I am definitely motivated to learn about and communicate with different cultures. However, I am lacking in knowledge, both about my communication strengths/weaknesses and about how other cultures communicate. I plan to ask others about my communication abilities to discover how I am perceived as a communicator. Once I know my strengths and weaknesses, I can work to correct my weaknesses and become a better communicator. I also need to learn that making mistakes is okay. I tend to be a perfectionist and hate making mistakes. However, making mistakes is a necessary part of learning how to communicate interculturally. Most importantly, I will be open to communicating with people from other cultures. The only way to improve my communication skills is to practice! When I am communicating with someone from another culture, I will try to be open to new ideas, ask questions, listen and be understanding, and avoid making assumptions.
Learning about and interacting with other cultures is an important part of learning to be an effective intercultural communicator. What is one culture you would like to learn more about or have more interactions with?
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Activity 11: The Nursing Strike
Intercultural conflict occurs frequently in both our society and in our everyday lives. Lately, I've been following the story of the Minnesota Nurses Association strike in the news. I'm using the term intercultural quite broadly here, but I do believe that nurses and hospital management groups have slightly different cultures. These groups see different aspects of patient care; the nurses work with the patients directly and value providing quality care while the hospital management needs to balance both the quality of patient care and the financial state of the hospital. Therefore these groups have different values when it comes to running a hospital. Also, many hospital managers are doctors, and doctors belong to a different economic class than nurses. Belonging to a different economic class, and therefore to a different cultural group, could affect the discussion about wages and benefits.
In case you aren't familiar with the nurses' strike, I'll give a summary of recent events. This is the biggest nurses' strike in the history of the national nurses' union. It affects 12,000 nurses in 14 different hospitals across the Twin Cities. This spring, the hospitals were renegotiating the nurses' contracts, and conflict arose between the nurses and hospital management over wages, benefits, and patient care. The hospitals have proposed annual raises of 0 to 2 percent; they also want to cut benefits and pensions. Nurses desire raises of 3.5 to 4 percent annually and do not agree with the benefit cuts. Although wages are an issue in this debate, the nurses are more concerned with providing quality patient care. The nurses claim that the hospitals are dangerously understaffed, with too many patients assigned to one nurse. To fix this problem, nurses have proposed a fixed nurse-to-patient staffing ratio; the hospitals have rejected this plan, saying it is too rigid to be practical. When negotiation talks were not producing any results, the nurses decided to strike. The strike began this morning and is supposed to last for 24 hours. However, hospitals have hired replacement nurses from around the country and may not want the striking nurses to return to work tomorrow. The replacement nurses are being paid up to $130 an hour for their work and for crossing the picket lines, so the strike is very costly for the hospitals, which may force them to return to negotiations.
In the beginning, the nurses' union and the hospital management attempted to sit down together, discuss the issues, and reach a compromise that would please everyone. However, both groups appear to be using dominating styles during negotiation. When a group uses the dominating conflict style, they view the situation as win or lose and refuse to compromise. This group has a high concern for self and low concern for others. I believe both the hospital management and the nurses' union are using dominating styles because they refuse to compromise on the issues, which is what lead to the strike.
Hopefully, as the strike continues, both groups will realize that the dominating style will accomplish nothing in this situation. Both groups need to change to the compromising style in order to find a solution. In the compromising style, both groups give up something to find an acceptable solution. I believe that this style would work best because it is impossible to meet the demands of both groups simultaneously. Therefore, each group must give up something to reach a solution. Perhaps they could settle for a 2.5 or 3 percent raise, and instead of having fixed staffing ratios, the hospital could agree to hire a certain number of new nurses to fix the understaffing problem. If both groups are willing to compromise, the strike can end and the nurses can return to work.
What is your opinion of unions and strikes? Do you think that striking is an effective way to improve working conditions or is there a better way?
In case you aren't familiar with the nurses' strike, I'll give a summary of recent events. This is the biggest nurses' strike in the history of the national nurses' union. It affects 12,000 nurses in 14 different hospitals across the Twin Cities. This spring, the hospitals were renegotiating the nurses' contracts, and conflict arose between the nurses and hospital management over wages, benefits, and patient care. The hospitals have proposed annual raises of 0 to 2 percent; they also want to cut benefits and pensions. Nurses desire raises of 3.5 to 4 percent annually and do not agree with the benefit cuts. Although wages are an issue in this debate, the nurses are more concerned with providing quality patient care. The nurses claim that the hospitals are dangerously understaffed, with too many patients assigned to one nurse. To fix this problem, nurses have proposed a fixed nurse-to-patient staffing ratio; the hospitals have rejected this plan, saying it is too rigid to be practical. When negotiation talks were not producing any results, the nurses decided to strike. The strike began this morning and is supposed to last for 24 hours. However, hospitals have hired replacement nurses from around the country and may not want the striking nurses to return to work tomorrow. The replacement nurses are being paid up to $130 an hour for their work and for crossing the picket lines, so the strike is very costly for the hospitals, which may force them to return to negotiations.
In the beginning, the nurses' union and the hospital management attempted to sit down together, discuss the issues, and reach a compromise that would please everyone. However, both groups appear to be using dominating styles during negotiation. When a group uses the dominating conflict style, they view the situation as win or lose and refuse to compromise. This group has a high concern for self and low concern for others. I believe both the hospital management and the nurses' union are using dominating styles because they refuse to compromise on the issues, which is what lead to the strike.
Hopefully, as the strike continues, both groups will realize that the dominating style will accomplish nothing in this situation. Both groups need to change to the compromising style in order to find a solution. In the compromising style, both groups give up something to find an acceptable solution. I believe that this style would work best because it is impossible to meet the demands of both groups simultaneously. Therefore, each group must give up something to reach a solution. Perhaps they could settle for a 2.5 or 3 percent raise, and instead of having fixed staffing ratios, the hospital could agree to hire a certain number of new nurses to fix the understaffing problem. If both groups are willing to compromise, the strike can end and the nurses can return to work.
What is your opinion of unions and strikes? Do you think that striking is an effective way to improve working conditions or is there a better way?
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Activity 10: Relationships In My Culture
I grew up in a very white, middle class area where there was very little cultural diversity. Because of this, I did not had very many intercultural relationships growing up. Since I went to college, I've had more intercultural relationships, but I've never really examined how my culture views these relationships. This assignment gave me the chance to do so. For the purposes of this assignment, I've defined my culture as Catholic, European Americans who are middle class.
Members of my culture view family members to be anyone who is vaguely related to you. I've shown up at my grandmother's house many times only to be introduced to so-and-so, a "sixth cousin twice removed who is staying with us for awhile." Family can also be someone who is a very, very close friend.
The roles and responsibilities of family members vary from generation to generation. My grandparents expect females to be responsible for housework and children while the men work outside and fix things. However, in my parents household, my father does much of the housework, so gender lines are not as clearly drawn. Children are expected to do some light chores, but play is considered more important. Younger people are expected to visit and help the elderly, but older generations do not live with younger generations.
After adolescence, children are expected to move out of their parent's house. However, my family is very close, so people have not moved more than an hour away from one another.
My culture has a lot of norms regarding dating and relationships. Dates are typically not set up by the parents; they are often set up by mutual friends or happen through a chance meeting. Men usually ask women out on a date and are expected to pay for any expenses during the date. The first date typically occurs somewhere casual, such as going to a cheaper restaurant and a movie. Silence is considered awkward while dating. If the couple decides to continue seeing one another, the man will call the woman a few days after the first date.
In my culture, men propose marriage. The man buys an engagement ring, usually with a diamond, and gets down on one knee to propose. Proposals often occur in a fancy, beautiful, or sentimental location.
Weddings in my culture have two main parts-the ceremony and the reception. Both of these events are planned months, even years, in advance. The ceremony occurs in a church and is performed by the priest. At the beginning of the ceremony, the groom stands at the altar with his relatives or friends (who are called groomsmen). The bride and her bridesmaids then walk down the aisle. The bride is usually accompanied by her father. The ceremony consists of prayers and vows. The reception follows the ceremony and usually consists of eating cake and dancing. Following this, the couple takes a trip called a honeymoon.
My culture does not approve of divorce except in certain circumstances, such as physical or mental abuse. If divorce occurs, belongings are typically split in half between the couple. The mother usually retains primary custody of the children, and the father may have the children on certain weekends.
Catholics typically do not approve of homosexuality. However, one of my uncles is gay and is accepted by my family. Therefore, I was raised to be very accepting of the gay community.
My view of gender roles is very different from older generations in my culture (such as my grandparents). Older generations believe women should stay at home and raise children while men work for a living. I do not believe that women should have to follow this role, and younger generations of my culture (including my parents) agree with me. I also disagree with the Catholic treatment of women. In the Catholic religion, women are not allowed to hold positions of power, such as the position of priest. I do not agree and believe that women should be allowed to hold these positions.
Members of my culture view family members to be anyone who is vaguely related to you. I've shown up at my grandmother's house many times only to be introduced to so-and-so, a "sixth cousin twice removed who is staying with us for awhile." Family can also be someone who is a very, very close friend.
The roles and responsibilities of family members vary from generation to generation. My grandparents expect females to be responsible for housework and children while the men work outside and fix things. However, in my parents household, my father does much of the housework, so gender lines are not as clearly drawn. Children are expected to do some light chores, but play is considered more important. Younger people are expected to visit and help the elderly, but older generations do not live with younger generations.
After adolescence, children are expected to move out of their parent's house. However, my family is very close, so people have not moved more than an hour away from one another.
My culture has a lot of norms regarding dating and relationships. Dates are typically not set up by the parents; they are often set up by mutual friends or happen through a chance meeting. Men usually ask women out on a date and are expected to pay for any expenses during the date. The first date typically occurs somewhere casual, such as going to a cheaper restaurant and a movie. Silence is considered awkward while dating. If the couple decides to continue seeing one another, the man will call the woman a few days after the first date.
In my culture, men propose marriage. The man buys an engagement ring, usually with a diamond, and gets down on one knee to propose. Proposals often occur in a fancy, beautiful, or sentimental location.
Weddings in my culture have two main parts-the ceremony and the reception. Both of these events are planned months, even years, in advance. The ceremony occurs in a church and is performed by the priest. At the beginning of the ceremony, the groom stands at the altar with his relatives or friends (who are called groomsmen). The bride and her bridesmaids then walk down the aisle. The bride is usually accompanied by her father. The ceremony consists of prayers and vows. The reception follows the ceremony and usually consists of eating cake and dancing. Following this, the couple takes a trip called a honeymoon.
My culture does not approve of divorce except in certain circumstances, such as physical or mental abuse. If divorce occurs, belongings are typically split in half between the couple. The mother usually retains primary custody of the children, and the father may have the children on certain weekends.
Catholics typically do not approve of homosexuality. However, one of my uncles is gay and is accepted by my family. Therefore, I was raised to be very accepting of the gay community.
My view of gender roles is very different from older generations in my culture (such as my grandparents). Older generations believe women should stay at home and raise children while men work for a living. I do not believe that women should have to follow this role, and younger generations of my culture (including my parents) agree with me. I also disagree with the Catholic treatment of women. In the Catholic religion, women are not allowed to hold positions of power, such as the position of priest. I do not agree and believe that women should be allowed to hold these positions.
Activity 9: CSI
For this activity, I chose to watch an episode of the television show CSI. For those of you who haven't seen it, CSI is about a group of crime scene investigators who collect forensic evidence in order to solve crimes. The original version of the show, which I watched, takes place in Las Vegas. If someone from outside the United States watched this show, he or she would definitely gain a strange impression of life in the United States.
CSI is a crime show, so many of the people depicted in it are criminals or people who could potentially be criminals. Since the show takes place in Las Vegas, many showgirls, prostitutes, and gamblers are featured. There are also many gang members and hapless tourists who become caught up in the action. Someone watching the show who has never been to Las Vegas might decide that the city is full of very sinful people and is continually in the midst of a crime wave. Las Vegas appears to be a place where Americans from other parts of the country go to fulfill their sinful desires. This is true to some extent. However, there are a lot of normal, everyday people who live and work in Las Vegas as businessmen, waitresses, or schoolteachers; not everyone is a showgirl or poker dealer. CSI does not typically depict these "normal" people, so the show makes it seem like everyone in Las Vegas is a cop or a criminal, good or bad.
If a foreigner was judging Americans based on the show CSI, he or she might decide that there are two types of Americans. The first type is based on the police characters. The crime scene investigators are very smart and knowledgeable. They are very dedicated to the law and are determined to see that justice is carried out. These characters carry themselves confidently and act boldly. One could conclude that all Americans who are on the "right side" of the law act this way. The crime scene investigators dress casually in jeans and t-shirts unless they are appearing in court, in which case they wear suits. Therefore, a foreigner might assume that Americans only dress up on special occasions, not for everyday work. Most of the investigators are white, with two or three exceptions who are black or Asian. They are all very good looking and mostly young.
The second type of American depicted in the CSI episodes is based on the suspects or criminals. These people are typically portrayed as being lower class. They use more slang and curse words and seem less educated than the police. The men often dress in stereotypic gang attire: low-slung pants, baggy t-shirts, and hats turned sideways. The women are often showgirls or prostitutes, so they dress in very provocative, cheap clothing. These people tend to be very loud and arrogant. From watching this show, a foreigner might decide that all lower class people in America look and act this way and are involved in crime. Many of the criminals on the show are minorities, although there are exceptions. Again, these people tend to be young.
From watching CSI, a foreigner might conclude that Americans are either good or bad, with no gray area in between. The "bad" Americans tend to be lower class, less educated, and mostly minorities. The "good" Americans are better educated and mostly white. Another conclusion might be that most Americans are young and good looking. The United States also appears the take the law very seriously but criminal activity is very common. Personally, I would be afraid to come to the United States after watching CSI; I would be afraid that a murderer was lurking around every corner!
Why do you think the stars of most American television shows are young and attractive? Do you think that this affects the way Americans view themselves or affects their self-esteem? Do you think this trend is present in other countries?
CSI is a crime show, so many of the people depicted in it are criminals or people who could potentially be criminals. Since the show takes place in Las Vegas, many showgirls, prostitutes, and gamblers are featured. There are also many gang members and hapless tourists who become caught up in the action. Someone watching the show who has never been to Las Vegas might decide that the city is full of very sinful people and is continually in the midst of a crime wave. Las Vegas appears to be a place where Americans from other parts of the country go to fulfill their sinful desires. This is true to some extent. However, there are a lot of normal, everyday people who live and work in Las Vegas as businessmen, waitresses, or schoolteachers; not everyone is a showgirl or poker dealer. CSI does not typically depict these "normal" people, so the show makes it seem like everyone in Las Vegas is a cop or a criminal, good or bad.
If a foreigner was judging Americans based on the show CSI, he or she might decide that there are two types of Americans. The first type is based on the police characters. The crime scene investigators are very smart and knowledgeable. They are very dedicated to the law and are determined to see that justice is carried out. These characters carry themselves confidently and act boldly. One could conclude that all Americans who are on the "right side" of the law act this way. The crime scene investigators dress casually in jeans and t-shirts unless they are appearing in court, in which case they wear suits. Therefore, a foreigner might assume that Americans only dress up on special occasions, not for everyday work. Most of the investigators are white, with two or three exceptions who are black or Asian. They are all very good looking and mostly young.
The second type of American depicted in the CSI episodes is based on the suspects or criminals. These people are typically portrayed as being lower class. They use more slang and curse words and seem less educated than the police. The men often dress in stereotypic gang attire: low-slung pants, baggy t-shirts, and hats turned sideways. The women are often showgirls or prostitutes, so they dress in very provocative, cheap clothing. These people tend to be very loud and arrogant. From watching this show, a foreigner might decide that all lower class people in America look and act this way and are involved in crime. Many of the criminals on the show are minorities, although there are exceptions. Again, these people tend to be young.
From watching CSI, a foreigner might conclude that Americans are either good or bad, with no gray area in between. The "bad" Americans tend to be lower class, less educated, and mostly minorities. The "good" Americans are better educated and mostly white. Another conclusion might be that most Americans are young and good looking. The United States also appears the take the law very seriously but criminal activity is very common. Personally, I would be afraid to come to the United States after watching CSI; I would be afraid that a murderer was lurking around every corner!
Why do you think the stars of most American television shows are young and attractive? Do you think that this affects the way Americans view themselves or affects their self-esteem? Do you think this trend is present in other countries?
Friday, June 4, 2010
Activity 8: My Experience as a Sojourner
I experienced transition by being a sojourner. I participated in the Semester Abroad Europe program and lived independently in Italy for almost three months; during this time I was doing an internship at a large animal reproductive research facility. I had the time of my life and wouldn't trade my experience for anything. However, I definitely did experience a U curve emotional roller coaster. Before I left on the trip, I was extremely excited and anticipated how amazing the trip was going to be. Once I arrived in Italy, I traveled to the research facility, where I discovered that only two other people (one of whom had invited me to come) spoke English. Since I only speak a little Italian, this proved to be a big challenge for me. During the day I was working with the people who spoke English and I was busy, so being in a new culture didn't bother me as much. However, in the evenings I was living in the dorms where no one spoke English except for the African janitor. I often felt completely alone and very excluded. The other students would invite me to eat or go places with them, but the language barrier made it very hard for me to interact with them. I did learn a lot of Italian by hanging out with them though! I went through phases when I was living there. Some days I would want to learn everything about Italian culture and would interact with people as much as possible. Other days I would lock myself in my room and avoid all contact because I was so exhausted from trying to communicate. On those days, I missed English and the U.S. a lot. By the end of the internship, I was feeling more comfortable with myself and with living in Italian culture. However, I think it would have taken a few more months before I adapted to life in Italy.
Have you ever been a host to someone from another culture (or interacted with a migrant)? How did you help them to feel comfortable living in U.S. culture?
Have you ever been a host to someone from another culture (or interacted with a migrant)? How did you help them to feel comfortable living in U.S. culture?
Activity 7: Nonverbal Communication
Nonverbal communication is really interesting. On an everyday basis, you don't realize how often you use nonverbal codes and how much they affect verbal communication. That is, until the crazy girl doing an intercultural communication experiment changes all the nonverbal communication rules and completely freaks you out. I expected to get some sort of reaction from people when I changed my nonverbal behavior, but I didn't expect to get as strong of a reaction as I did.
For the first experiment, I had a conversation with my best friend and attempted to maintain eye contact at all costs. She didn't react at all during the first fifteen seconds of the conversation. Then she attempted to glance away, and I subtly shifted back into her line of sight. At this point, she gave me a look but went along with it. We repeated this one more time. After another fifteen seconds, she tried to look away again, and again, I prevented her from doing so. This time, she actually paused in the conversation for a second and gave me a really weird look before continuing. Afterwards, she only maintained eye contact for five seconds before looking all the way off to the side so I literally had to take a couple of steps to regain eye contact. At this point, she threw up her hands and asked what the hell I was doing. My constant attempts to maintain eye contact bothered her so much that we couldn't even have a full two minute conversation. Maintaining constant eye contact, at least in our culture, is uncomfortable and abnormal.
During the second experiment, I had a conversation with my brother and never made eye contact. He spoke for about thirty seconds with no reaction. For the next minute seconds or so, he made subtle attempts to attract my attention. He cleared this throat, paused in the middle of a sentence, and said "um" far more often than he normally does. His attempts to attract at least some kind of eye contact then became more desperate. He asked me to look at something he was holding to force me to look at him as well. I replied, "Sure, in a minute." At this point, he blew up and yelled, "Are you even listening to me?" This experiment showed that in our culture, eye contact shows attention and demonstrates that you are really listening to what someone is saying. Lack of eye contact is almost disrespectful.
For the final experiment, I stood face to face in the living room with my boyfriend and very, very slowly moved towards him while we were speaking. My boyfriend and I are very comfortable with one another, so he let me get pretty close (about 8 inches or so away) before he took a step backwards. Although he kept backing up, he didn't pause in the conversation, act oddly, or ask me what I was doing. In fact, he didn't seem to realize what was happening until he hit the wall. Then he looked really confused and asked where we were going. This experiment showed that we maintain a specific distance between people when conversing. When that distance gets too small, we automatically take a step backward in order to become comfortable again.
Overall, this activity made me realize how important nonverbal codes are in communication. When nonverbal codes get broken, we feel uncomfortable and cannot maintain normal verbal communication unless we can correct the situation. Have you ever had a conversation with someone from another culture where their nonverbal codes were different than yours? How did you react? Did the difference in nonverbals cause any miscommunication?
For the first experiment, I had a conversation with my best friend and attempted to maintain eye contact at all costs. She didn't react at all during the first fifteen seconds of the conversation. Then she attempted to glance away, and I subtly shifted back into her line of sight. At this point, she gave me a look but went along with it. We repeated this one more time. After another fifteen seconds, she tried to look away again, and again, I prevented her from doing so. This time, she actually paused in the conversation for a second and gave me a really weird look before continuing. Afterwards, she only maintained eye contact for five seconds before looking all the way off to the side so I literally had to take a couple of steps to regain eye contact. At this point, she threw up her hands and asked what the hell I was doing. My constant attempts to maintain eye contact bothered her so much that we couldn't even have a full two minute conversation. Maintaining constant eye contact, at least in our culture, is uncomfortable and abnormal.
During the second experiment, I had a conversation with my brother and never made eye contact. He spoke for about thirty seconds with no reaction. For the next minute seconds or so, he made subtle attempts to attract my attention. He cleared this throat, paused in the middle of a sentence, and said "um" far more often than he normally does. His attempts to attract at least some kind of eye contact then became more desperate. He asked me to look at something he was holding to force me to look at him as well. I replied, "Sure, in a minute." At this point, he blew up and yelled, "Are you even listening to me?" This experiment showed that in our culture, eye contact shows attention and demonstrates that you are really listening to what someone is saying. Lack of eye contact is almost disrespectful.
For the final experiment, I stood face to face in the living room with my boyfriend and very, very slowly moved towards him while we were speaking. My boyfriend and I are very comfortable with one another, so he let me get pretty close (about 8 inches or so away) before he took a step backwards. Although he kept backing up, he didn't pause in the conversation, act oddly, or ask me what I was doing. In fact, he didn't seem to realize what was happening until he hit the wall. Then he looked really confused and asked where we were going. This experiment showed that we maintain a specific distance between people when conversing. When that distance gets too small, we automatically take a step backward in order to become comfortable again.
Overall, this activity made me realize how important nonverbal codes are in communication. When nonverbal codes get broken, we feel uncomfortable and cannot maintain normal verbal communication unless we can correct the situation. Have you ever had a conversation with someone from another culture where their nonverbal codes were different than yours? How did you react? Did the difference in nonverbals cause any miscommunication?
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Activity 6: Do You Speak American?
I thought these quizzes were really fun and interesting. They made me think about the different regions of the United States and how people from different regions speak and communicate differently even though we are all Americans. This activity reminded me of my grandmother. I'll never forget watching television with her and how she had the hardest time understanding President Bush's Texas accent. She would make me repeat all of his speeches and called me her "interpreter." At the time, I rolled my eyes and thought she was ridiculous, but these quizzes showed me that I can't understand everyone either.
Although I've lived in America my whole life, I apparently don't distinguish between accents very well. The first quiz asked you to listen to various American accents and identify what part of the country they were from. I had no problem identifying the southern and western accents. To my ear, these accents are very distinctive. I could also identify the midland and northern accents, but I switched two of them around. It was embarrassing the mess up on an accent from my home region! I also mixed up two of the Mid-Atlantic and New England accents. Perhaps I don't interact enough with people from these regions and therefore have a harder time separating their accents. Before this quiz, I would have told you that I could easily separate American accents, but I learned that it is harder than I thought it would be.
I think that to be able to understand and distinguish between accents, you must be very familiar with the language being spoken and you must have experience with people from the various regions, either through the media, travel, or meeting someone from a certain region. When I was traveling, I met an Englishman who told me that all American accents sound the same to him. I laughed, but he then pointed out how many different "British" accents exist in the United Kingdom. After thinking about it, I realized I probably couldn't tell most of them apart because I do not have enough experience with people from this country. I also met many people who could not tell an American, British, and Australian accent apart. To me, these accents are very different. So to better distinguish between American accents, I guess I need more practice.
I did much better on the second quiz than on the first. This quiz asked you to listen to a series of words, each one spoken with a different American accent, and write down what the word was. I got all of the words correct excepts for "socks." I could have sworn she was saying "sacks." I believe this was a Mid-Atlantic accent, although I could be wrong (as demonstrated by my first quiz). For me, this accent was the hardest to understand. Accents can often cause misunderstandings or communication problems. When I was living in Italy, I often spoke with a horribly fake British accent because my Italian friends had learned English from British people and had a difficult time understanding my American accent. This shows how important accents can be in communication.
After taking these quizzes, I realized how many communication barriers exist even within the Unites States, between people who are all speaking the same language. Accents, how quickly someone speaks, and regional slang or idioms can all cause misunderstandings in communication. Have you ever experienced miscommunication because you couldn't understand a different American accent or another person couldn't understand you?
Although I've lived in America my whole life, I apparently don't distinguish between accents very well. The first quiz asked you to listen to various American accents and identify what part of the country they were from. I had no problem identifying the southern and western accents. To my ear, these accents are very distinctive. I could also identify the midland and northern accents, but I switched two of them around. It was embarrassing the mess up on an accent from my home region! I also mixed up two of the Mid-Atlantic and New England accents. Perhaps I don't interact enough with people from these regions and therefore have a harder time separating their accents. Before this quiz, I would have told you that I could easily separate American accents, but I learned that it is harder than I thought it would be.
I think that to be able to understand and distinguish between accents, you must be very familiar with the language being spoken and you must have experience with people from the various regions, either through the media, travel, or meeting someone from a certain region. When I was traveling, I met an Englishman who told me that all American accents sound the same to him. I laughed, but he then pointed out how many different "British" accents exist in the United Kingdom. After thinking about it, I realized I probably couldn't tell most of them apart because I do not have enough experience with people from this country. I also met many people who could not tell an American, British, and Australian accent apart. To me, these accents are very different. So to better distinguish between American accents, I guess I need more practice.
I did much better on the second quiz than on the first. This quiz asked you to listen to a series of words, each one spoken with a different American accent, and write down what the word was. I got all of the words correct excepts for "socks." I could have sworn she was saying "sacks." I believe this was a Mid-Atlantic accent, although I could be wrong (as demonstrated by my first quiz). For me, this accent was the hardest to understand. Accents can often cause misunderstandings or communication problems. When I was living in Italy, I often spoke with a horribly fake British accent because my Italian friends had learned English from British people and had a difficult time understanding my American accent. This shows how important accents can be in communication.
After taking these quizzes, I realized how many communication barriers exist even within the Unites States, between people who are all speaking the same language. Accents, how quickly someone speaks, and regional slang or idioms can all cause misunderstandings in communication. Have you ever experienced miscommunication because you couldn't understand a different American accent or another person couldn't understand you?
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Activity 5: My Identities
Avowed identities:
Modern female
Daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, and cousin
Catholic
Good student
White
American, Minnesotan, Irish-American, German-American, Swedish-American, French-American
Ascribed identities---Person Responsible---Actions to Resist
Traditional female---Grandparents---Ignore advice, discuss my life with them
Age (21, college student)---Friends, college students---Explain my beliefs, ignore peer pressure
American---People I've met traveling---Get to know people, talk about America
Middle class---Friends, college students---Explain my finances and situation
When I was writing a list of my identities, I realized that some labels have very different meanings to different groups of people. Therefore, my avowed and ascribed identities may be very different in nature but the same word could be used to describe both of these identities. For example, when I think of myself as an American, I think of being very individualistic, focused on the future and on goals, and proud of my nationality and independence. However, when I was traveling in Europe, I met many people who had a different view of Americans. The American identity they ascribed to me consisted of a very loud, arrogant, and disrespectful person. I resisted this identity by allowing Europeans to get to know me and by discussing my country with them. I am a very shy, quiet person, so my personality was often enough to change this ascribed identity.
Another identity which is ascribed to me, most often by my grandparents, is a gender role. My grandparents view me as a traditional female and expect me to get married and become a housewife. They do not understand why I want to attend graduate school because they believe a girl only goes to college to meet a husband. Mainly I resist this identity by ignoring it and going ahead with my goals. I have also tried to talk to my grandparents about what I want from life; however, the cultural differences between our generations makes this difficult.
Age, and the properties that go along with it, is another ascribed identity. I am a young, 21 year old college student. However, I am a very strong Catholic, which means that I do not participate in many of the "typical" college activities. I know how to have fun and party, but I refuse to get drunk or compromise myself. I am also very responsible in that I always put schoolwork before having fun, even on the weekends. Sometimes other college students expect me to act differently and conflict arises when I refuse to party as hard as they want to. Again, I resist this identity by following my beliefs and ignoring their wishes.
The final identity I feel is ascribed to me is the middle class identity. I was born into a middle class family, and I will probably be middle class myself someday. However, my parents cannot afford to give me a lot of money for college. I pay for college mostly with financial aid and summer earnings, so I have to be careful of how much money I am spending. Some of my friends from lower class backgrounds view me as being middle class and do not understand when I'm concerned about spending money on a concert or trip. One time I solved this problem by showing them by bank balance and explaining that I really did need to worry about money. Since then, my friends have been more understanding.
Do you think ascribed identities are more commonly given to us by our peers or by people who have very different identities than we do (for example, people of a different race, age, or gender)?
What factors have influenced the development of your avowed identities (family, peers, media, etc)?
Modern female
Daughter, granddaughter, sister, niece, and cousin
Catholic
Good student
White
American, Minnesotan, Irish-American, German-American, Swedish-American, French-American
Ascribed identities---Person Responsible---Actions to Resist
Traditional female---Grandparents---Ignore advice, discuss my life with them
Age (21, college student)---Friends, college students---Explain my beliefs, ignore peer pressure
American---People I've met traveling---Get to know people, talk about America
Middle class---Friends, college students---Explain my finances and situation
When I was writing a list of my identities, I realized that some labels have very different meanings to different groups of people. Therefore, my avowed and ascribed identities may be very different in nature but the same word could be used to describe both of these identities. For example, when I think of myself as an American, I think of being very individualistic, focused on the future and on goals, and proud of my nationality and independence. However, when I was traveling in Europe, I met many people who had a different view of Americans. The American identity they ascribed to me consisted of a very loud, arrogant, and disrespectful person. I resisted this identity by allowing Europeans to get to know me and by discussing my country with them. I am a very shy, quiet person, so my personality was often enough to change this ascribed identity.
Another identity which is ascribed to me, most often by my grandparents, is a gender role. My grandparents view me as a traditional female and expect me to get married and become a housewife. They do not understand why I want to attend graduate school because they believe a girl only goes to college to meet a husband. Mainly I resist this identity by ignoring it and going ahead with my goals. I have also tried to talk to my grandparents about what I want from life; however, the cultural differences between our generations makes this difficult.
Age, and the properties that go along with it, is another ascribed identity. I am a young, 21 year old college student. However, I am a very strong Catholic, which means that I do not participate in many of the "typical" college activities. I know how to have fun and party, but I refuse to get drunk or compromise myself. I am also very responsible in that I always put schoolwork before having fun, even on the weekends. Sometimes other college students expect me to act differently and conflict arises when I refuse to party as hard as they want to. Again, I resist this identity by following my beliefs and ignoring their wishes.
The final identity I feel is ascribed to me is the middle class identity. I was born into a middle class family, and I will probably be middle class myself someday. However, my parents cannot afford to give me a lot of money for college. I pay for college mostly with financial aid and summer earnings, so I have to be careful of how much money I am spending. Some of my friends from lower class backgrounds view me as being middle class and do not understand when I'm concerned about spending money on a concert or trip. One time I solved this problem by showing them by bank balance and explaining that I really did need to worry about money. Since then, my friends have been more understanding.
Do you think ascribed identities are more commonly given to us by our peers or by people who have very different identities than we do (for example, people of a different race, age, or gender)?
What factors have influenced the development of your avowed identities (family, peers, media, etc)?
Friday, May 28, 2010
Activity 4: Ethnicity and History
I've always known that history textbooks tend to focus on the dominant group (i.e. white males in the United States). However, this fact did not really sink in until I did the quiz on D2L, which asked us to name people from each ethnicity throughout the centuries. My inability to name famous people from some ethnic groups was a bit shocking, and it made me realize how much of American history is focused on white men.
Obviously for me, I had a much easier time naming famous white people than any other ethnic group. I could name famous people (both men and women) for all the centuries quite easily. In America, whites have always been the dominant group. Therefore, our textbooks tend to focus on their contributions to history. This is especially true when the textbook is discussing the history of our nation because almost all of our famous political leaders have been white. It is impossible to discuss the history of our nation without talking about famous presidents, generals, and senators, all of whom have been white. I have only studied American and European history, which means that most of the famous people I have heard of are white. I'm sure if I had grown up in another region (for example the Middle East or Asia) I would know many more famous people of that ethnicity.
It was also much easier to name famous men than famous women, regardless of the ethnicity. Sadly, I could only come up with one famous middle eastern woman, and I wasn't even sure of her name. Throughout most of history (especially European and American history) men have been the dominant group. Women have not been allowed to participate in government, war, or many other famous events that history focuses on. In many cultures, women were not allowed to publish literature or works of art. Therefore, there are fewer women discussed in history textbooks because the lives of "ordinary" women are not considered important enough to include in textbooks.
Overall, history textbooks tend to focus on the dominant group. This is because textbooks do not have the time to discuss every historical event. Therefore, they focus on the major events, and many major events are controlled or lead by the dominant group. In the United States, white men have been the dominant group throughout our history. Minority groups, both women and people of other ethnicities, were not allowed to participate in the government for many, many years. Therefore, our famous political leaders have all been white men and the history books focus on these men. For me, the second easiest ethnicity to answer questions for was black because I have studied the history of the civil rights movement and the civil war. However, I could not name famous black people from before the United States was created. The hardest ethnic group for me was the middle eastern group. Textbooks in the United States do not typically discuss middle eastern history. This may be because, until recently, there were not many middle eastern people living in the United States; therefore, there is not as much history about middle eastern people in America for the textbooks to discuss.
American textbooks tend to focus on American history only. To some extent, they also discuss European history because America was originally a British colony. Otherwise, American textbooks do not really discuss history of other parts of the world. Do you think students in other parts of the world study American history or are they as clueless about our history as we are about their history?
Obviously for me, I had a much easier time naming famous white people than any other ethnic group. I could name famous people (both men and women) for all the centuries quite easily. In America, whites have always been the dominant group. Therefore, our textbooks tend to focus on their contributions to history. This is especially true when the textbook is discussing the history of our nation because almost all of our famous political leaders have been white. It is impossible to discuss the history of our nation without talking about famous presidents, generals, and senators, all of whom have been white. I have only studied American and European history, which means that most of the famous people I have heard of are white. I'm sure if I had grown up in another region (for example the Middle East or Asia) I would know many more famous people of that ethnicity.
It was also much easier to name famous men than famous women, regardless of the ethnicity. Sadly, I could only come up with one famous middle eastern woman, and I wasn't even sure of her name. Throughout most of history (especially European and American history) men have been the dominant group. Women have not been allowed to participate in government, war, or many other famous events that history focuses on. In many cultures, women were not allowed to publish literature or works of art. Therefore, there are fewer women discussed in history textbooks because the lives of "ordinary" women are not considered important enough to include in textbooks.
Overall, history textbooks tend to focus on the dominant group. This is because textbooks do not have the time to discuss every historical event. Therefore, they focus on the major events, and many major events are controlled or lead by the dominant group. In the United States, white men have been the dominant group throughout our history. Minority groups, both women and people of other ethnicities, were not allowed to participate in the government for many, many years. Therefore, our famous political leaders have all been white men and the history books focus on these men. For me, the second easiest ethnicity to answer questions for was black because I have studied the history of the civil rights movement and the civil war. However, I could not name famous black people from before the United States was created. The hardest ethnic group for me was the middle eastern group. Textbooks in the United States do not typically discuss middle eastern history. This may be because, until recently, there were not many middle eastern people living in the United States; therefore, there is not as much history about middle eastern people in America for the textbooks to discuss.
American textbooks tend to focus on American history only. To some extent, they also discuss European history because America was originally a British colony. Otherwise, American textbooks do not really discuss history of other parts of the world. Do you think students in other parts of the world study American history or are they as clueless about our history as we are about their history?
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Activity 3: My Ethnicity
Like many Americans, my ethnic background is very diverse. Overall, I am European American. On my mother's side, I am mainly of French, Irish, and English descent. My French ancestors (who immigrated about five or six generations ago) worked as fur traders in Canada along the St. Lawrence River, eventually moving to northern Minnesota. Other ancestors, some of my great, great grandparents, immigrated from Ireland to escape a famine. On my father's side, I am mostly Irish, German, and Swedish. The Irish and German immigrant ancestors on this side are many generations removed. One of my great, great grandmothers immigrated from Sweden by herself when she was fourteen to find a better life.
My ancestors immigrated from Europe many generations ago, so many of their ethnic behaviors and traditions have been lost. I also come from a very diverse background, so I am not influenced by any particular culture. However, some of my family traditions, behaviors, and beliefs have ethnic roots. My ancestors, especially from France and Ireland, were primarily Catholic. These religious beliefs are still held by my family today, and my Christian beliefs play a large role in my decisions, actions, and worldview. Some of my behaviors also have an ethnic origin. I have a strong tendency to talk with my hands and use elaborate gesture to make a point. This comes from my mom's side of the family. I can still remember my great grandmother pounding the table and yelling in French at family reunions! I suppose the way I speak could also be considered ethnic; I am a good Scandinavian from Minnesota who says "yah" and "sure, you bet" in conversations. Many of my family traditions also have ethnic origins. We always bake and eat lefse, a traditional Swedish flatbread, at Christmas and Easter (although we've given up on lutefisk since no one will eat it). At Christmas, we hide a pickle in the Christmas tree, and the first one to find it gets a prize. I'm told this is a German tradition. So overall, my ethnic background does influence my beliefs, behaviors, and traditions to some extent.
Most of my ancestors immigrated to America many generations ago, so my family is definitely "Americanized" and many aspects of our ethnic cultures have been lost. Although I am influenced my ethnic backgrounds to some extent, I am more influenced by growing up in America, and my worldview is very American. I tend to be individualistic, future-oriented, and more focused on "doing" or accomplishing things. Many of my beliefs are also very American. For example, I place a high value on freedom and equality. Overall, I think many of my behaviors have more to do with being American than with my ethnic background.
Most of my ethnic background cannot be determined by simply looking at me. Obviously, someone could tell that I am European American because I am very white. People may also guess that I am Scandinavian because I have blond hair. However, the specifics of my background (such as where in Europe my ancestors were from) cannot be determined from my appearance or behaviors. In America, whites are the majority and are typically seen as having more power, and this fact probably influences how people of minority races communicate with me. However, I do not think that my specific European heritage affects how people communicate with me. I have spent some time living and traveling in Europe, however, and being an American definitely influenced how people communicated with me. Some people did not like Americans; many of these people viewed Americans as stereotypically loud, arrogant, and obnoxious. These people often acted hostile towards me because of my American background. Other people loved Americans and treated me more respectfully because of my background. Therefore, my ancestral heritage does not really affect my communication with others, but when traveling internationally, my American heritage does affect how people communicate with me.
How do you think ethnicity affects communication between someone of a majority race and someone of a minority race?
My ancestors immigrated from Europe many generations ago, so many of their ethnic behaviors and traditions have been lost. I also come from a very diverse background, so I am not influenced by any particular culture. However, some of my family traditions, behaviors, and beliefs have ethnic roots. My ancestors, especially from France and Ireland, were primarily Catholic. These religious beliefs are still held by my family today, and my Christian beliefs play a large role in my decisions, actions, and worldview. Some of my behaviors also have an ethnic origin. I have a strong tendency to talk with my hands and use elaborate gesture to make a point. This comes from my mom's side of the family. I can still remember my great grandmother pounding the table and yelling in French at family reunions! I suppose the way I speak could also be considered ethnic; I am a good Scandinavian from Minnesota who says "yah" and "sure, you bet" in conversations. Many of my family traditions also have ethnic origins. We always bake and eat lefse, a traditional Swedish flatbread, at Christmas and Easter (although we've given up on lutefisk since no one will eat it). At Christmas, we hide a pickle in the Christmas tree, and the first one to find it gets a prize. I'm told this is a German tradition. So overall, my ethnic background does influence my beliefs, behaviors, and traditions to some extent.
Most of my ancestors immigrated to America many generations ago, so my family is definitely "Americanized" and many aspects of our ethnic cultures have been lost. Although I am influenced my ethnic backgrounds to some extent, I am more influenced by growing up in America, and my worldview is very American. I tend to be individualistic, future-oriented, and more focused on "doing" or accomplishing things. Many of my beliefs are also very American. For example, I place a high value on freedom and equality. Overall, I think many of my behaviors have more to do with being American than with my ethnic background.
Most of my ethnic background cannot be determined by simply looking at me. Obviously, someone could tell that I am European American because I am very white. People may also guess that I am Scandinavian because I have blond hair. However, the specifics of my background (such as where in Europe my ancestors were from) cannot be determined from my appearance or behaviors. In America, whites are the majority and are typically seen as having more power, and this fact probably influences how people of minority races communicate with me. However, I do not think that my specific European heritage affects how people communicate with me. I have spent some time living and traveling in Europe, however, and being an American definitely influenced how people communicated with me. Some people did not like Americans; many of these people viewed Americans as stereotypically loud, arrogant, and obnoxious. These people often acted hostile towards me because of my American background. Other people loved Americans and treated me more respectfully because of my background. Therefore, my ancestral heritage does not really affect my communication with others, but when traveling internationally, my American heritage does affect how people communicate with me.
How do you think ethnicity affects communication between someone of a majority race and someone of a minority race?
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Activity 2: Baseball Games
Today I attended my five year old cousin's t-ball game (a kid's version of baseball) and watched the behavior and interaction of the parents there. At any baseball game, there are two opposing teams, and many of the social "rules" at a t-ball game revolve around this fact. For instance, there are two separate bleachers for the parents to sit in, one located behind each team. Parents always sit in the stands behind their team; you would never sit with parents of the opposing team. Also, parents typically cheer for children on their son or daughter's team but not for children on the opposing team. The parents are there to support their child, but the parents do not directly participate in the game. For example, a parent would never run onto the field to catch a ball or interrupt the game to show a child how to hold a bat correctly. Although the parents will cheer for their kids, they rarely approach the players during the game.
There is also a code of behavior for the parents while sitting in the bleachers. In the stands, parents sit by people they know. The better you know someone, the closer you sit to them. A married couple sits very close to one another while acquaintances sit slightly farther away. The people sitting towards the front of the stands remain seated unless something very exciting happens-then they stand up and cheer. It is considered polite to remain seated so that the people sitting behind you can see the game without standing up. The parents talk amongst themselves, but they only discuss small talk, not serious issues. It is also considered rude for a parent to spend an excessive amount of time on a cell phone discussing business. For that matter, it is rude for a parent to not pay attention to the game. For example, one father had his laptop out and was working throughout the game. Other parents made numerous comments about how rude this was. Another rude behavior at baseball games is being excessively vocal. Once in awhile, a very vocal parent will argue with the umpire about a decision. All the other parents appear embarrassed by the vocal parent's behavior, but they do nothing to stop it.
To Americans, much of this behavior is expected and typical at any sporting events. However, an outsider may have trouble knowing where to sit, who to cheer for, and what to talk about. An outsider's behavior may accidentally offend some of the other parents, causing the outsider to be rejected by the group.
Once I started analyzing this behavior, I realized that it is very competitive, especially for a baseball game played by five year olds. After all, five year olds are there to have fun and winning shouldn't really matter. Yet the parents act in a competitive manner; they don't associate with the opposing team, they only cheer for their own team, and they often debate calls with the umpire. All in all, the parents take the game much more seriously than the kids do. Why do you think parents take their children's games so seriously when the goal is to have fun, not to win?
There is also a code of behavior for the parents while sitting in the bleachers. In the stands, parents sit by people they know. The better you know someone, the closer you sit to them. A married couple sits very close to one another while acquaintances sit slightly farther away. The people sitting towards the front of the stands remain seated unless something very exciting happens-then they stand up and cheer. It is considered polite to remain seated so that the people sitting behind you can see the game without standing up. The parents talk amongst themselves, but they only discuss small talk, not serious issues. It is also considered rude for a parent to spend an excessive amount of time on a cell phone discussing business. For that matter, it is rude for a parent to not pay attention to the game. For example, one father had his laptop out and was working throughout the game. Other parents made numerous comments about how rude this was. Another rude behavior at baseball games is being excessively vocal. Once in awhile, a very vocal parent will argue with the umpire about a decision. All the other parents appear embarrassed by the vocal parent's behavior, but they do nothing to stop it.
To Americans, much of this behavior is expected and typical at any sporting events. However, an outsider may have trouble knowing where to sit, who to cheer for, and what to talk about. An outsider's behavior may accidentally offend some of the other parents, causing the outsider to be rejected by the group.
Once I started analyzing this behavior, I realized that it is very competitive, especially for a baseball game played by five year olds. After all, five year olds are there to have fun and winning shouldn't really matter. Yet the parents act in a competitive manner; they don't associate with the opposing team, they only cheer for their own team, and they often debate calls with the umpire. All in all, the parents take the game much more seriously than the kids do. Why do you think parents take their children's games so seriously when the goal is to have fun, not to win?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Activity 1: Far and Away
The United States has a long, rich history of immigration, and most U.S. citizens today can trace their lineage back to an immigrant family. Immigrants faced many hardships both in traveling to the United States and in making a life here once they arrived. The movie "Far and Away" addresses many immigration issues as it follows the lives of two Irish immigrants, Joseph Donnelly and Shannon Christie, in the late 19th century.
Immigrants viewed the United States as a land of promise where their dreams could come true, and many people immigrated hoping to find a better life in the new world. In the movie, Shannon Christie is the daughter of a rich landowner. Although she lives a life of privilege in Ireland, she feels constrained by the traditional rules governing female behavior and wants to escape these boundaries. She declares that she is running away to America because she is "going to be modern" and America is a modern place. Shannon also believes that in America women can act however they want to and declares that in America she will ride her horse however she wants to and no one will tell her it's wrong. For Shannon, the United States represents freedom from tradition. The other main character of the movie, Joseph Donnelly, also travels to America in search of freedom. In his case, Joseph is seeking freedom from the landlords who control Irish farmers. Early in the movie, the landlord's men burn down the Donnelly farmhouse because the rent is past due. Joseph is enraged and wants to live in a place where a man can own his land and be free from the oppression of the landlords. Therefore, both Joseph and Shannon, like many immigrants, travel to America seeking freedom and hoping to have a better life.
Once the immigrants arrived in America, they faced many challenges. Shannon and Joseph have little money, and it is difficult for immigrants to find jobs and housing. However, the ethnic groups tend to stick together and help one another. Through the help of local Irish, Joseph and Shannon find housing in a brothel and jobs at a chicken factory. They earn little money and most of it goes towards room and board, which makes it very difficult to save money to travel to Oklahoma and get their own land. The immigrants also face prejudice; at one point in the movie, Joseph begs a man for work only to be told, "I don't hire Irish." This prejudice often made it harder for new immigrants to find work and survive in the US. The immigrant groups are also prejudiced against one another, which may be a result of competing against each other for jobs and housing. In "Far and Away," this prejudice is shown through the Irish and Italian immigrant groups who detest one another. This prejudice often created conflict among immigrants. The new immigrants came to America with big dreams, but they had to face poverty and prejudice before these dreams could come true.
In "Far and Away," Joseph and Shannon achieve their dreams and obtain their own land. Even today, the "American dream" of the immigrants exists in our culture. This dream maintains that if a poor person works hard, they can obtain success and wealth. Do you think the "American dream" was a reality for most immigrants or only a fairy tale? What about in today's society? Is it realistic for someone from a poor background to dream of being rich and successful someday or is this just a false hope?
Immigrants viewed the United States as a land of promise where their dreams could come true, and many people immigrated hoping to find a better life in the new world. In the movie, Shannon Christie is the daughter of a rich landowner. Although she lives a life of privilege in Ireland, she feels constrained by the traditional rules governing female behavior and wants to escape these boundaries. She declares that she is running away to America because she is "going to be modern" and America is a modern place. Shannon also believes that in America women can act however they want to and declares that in America she will ride her horse however she wants to and no one will tell her it's wrong. For Shannon, the United States represents freedom from tradition. The other main character of the movie, Joseph Donnelly, also travels to America in search of freedom. In his case, Joseph is seeking freedom from the landlords who control Irish farmers. Early in the movie, the landlord's men burn down the Donnelly farmhouse because the rent is past due. Joseph is enraged and wants to live in a place where a man can own his land and be free from the oppression of the landlords. Therefore, both Joseph and Shannon, like many immigrants, travel to America seeking freedom and hoping to have a better life.
Once the immigrants arrived in America, they faced many challenges. Shannon and Joseph have little money, and it is difficult for immigrants to find jobs and housing. However, the ethnic groups tend to stick together and help one another. Through the help of local Irish, Joseph and Shannon find housing in a brothel and jobs at a chicken factory. They earn little money and most of it goes towards room and board, which makes it very difficult to save money to travel to Oklahoma and get their own land. The immigrants also face prejudice; at one point in the movie, Joseph begs a man for work only to be told, "I don't hire Irish." This prejudice often made it harder for new immigrants to find work and survive in the US. The immigrant groups are also prejudiced against one another, which may be a result of competing against each other for jobs and housing. In "Far and Away," this prejudice is shown through the Irish and Italian immigrant groups who detest one another. This prejudice often created conflict among immigrants. The new immigrants came to America with big dreams, but they had to face poverty and prejudice before these dreams could come true.
In "Far and Away," Joseph and Shannon achieve their dreams and obtain their own land. Even today, the "American dream" of the immigrants exists in our culture. This dream maintains that if a poor person works hard, they can obtain success and wealth. Do you think the "American dream" was a reality for most immigrants or only a fairy tale? What about in today's society? Is it realistic for someone from a poor background to dream of being rich and successful someday or is this just a false hope?
Monday, May 24, 2010
2 Truths and a Lie
Hi everyone! I'm excited to get to know our group this summer. Here's a little bit about me...
I ride and show paint horses
I've run in (and finished!) three marathons
I went skydiving over the Swiss Alps
Good luck guessing the lie!
I ride and show paint horses
I've run in (and finished!) three marathons
I went skydiving over the Swiss Alps
Good luck guessing the lie!
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