Văn hóa Anh Mỹ (BRITISH – AMERICAN CULTURE)

Question 1: “Culture hides much more than it reveals, and strangely enough what it hides, it hides most effectively from its own participants. Years of study have convinced me that the real job is not to understand foreign culture but to understand our own” Edward. T.Hall (19142009) I agree with Edwards quote. T. Hall. I think culture, like an iceberg in the ocean, only partially rises above the water, and nine parts are deep below. Part of it rises above that water, which is normally noticeable and sometimes easy to draw conclusions attributed to an entire community. Nevertheless, the nine parts that are deep beneath the cultural layers represent so many aspects of cultural life that we cannot easily observe, like the part rising above the water.

Ho Chi Minh City, November 11 th , 2021

MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

…… UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND

FOREIGN LANGUAGES



to understand our own”

Edward T.Hall (1914-2009)

Do you agree with the quotation by Edward T.Hall? Do people really not understand their own culture? What aspects of a country’s culture are the hardest to understand?

Question 2:

1 What do you know about the culture of USA?

 the location ?

 the history?

 The political system?

 their etiquette in the daily life and workplace

 the traditional foods

2 In your opinion, what are some most important American values? Give some examples?

Question 3:

1 What do you know about the culture of United Kingdom?

 the location ?

 The political system?

 their etiquette in the daily life and workplace

 the traditional foods of the countries within the United Kingdom?

 the education system

2 In your opinion, what are some most important American values? Give some examples?

ESSAY:

Question 1:

“Culture hides much more than it reveals, and strangely enough what it hides, it hides most effectively from its own participants Years of study have convinced me that the real job is not to understand foreign culture but

to understand our own”

Edward T.Hall (1914-2009)

I agree with Edward's quote T Hall I think culture, like an iceberg in the ocean, only partially rises above the water, and nine parts are deep below Part of it rises above that water, which is normally noticeable and sometimes easy to draw conclusions attributed to an entire community

Nevertheless, the nine parts that are deep beneath the cultural layers represent so many aspects of cultural life that we cannot easily observe, like the part rising above the water

In my opinion, people really don't fully understand the culture of their own country Because they only see the culture that exists before their eyes and the deeper parts of culture, people have not fully grasped the principle of the iceberg in culture For example, when it comes to culture, people almost only mean festivals, food, music, language, etc but people don't think about the code of conduct, the level of social communication, the concept of the ego, body language, how to get used to greeting, facial expressions, eye contact, etc Sometimes people can't feel it

I think that language, thought, values, and so on are the most perplexing and difficult-to-access non-material aspects of a country's culture In this respect, we must feel, not see or see directly as the material aspect Just like the iceberg principle in the culture I mentioned above

Question 2:

1 The culture of USA:

The United States of America has 50 states, 14 islands, and a federal district Each state has a capital, and the country's capital is Washington, D.C The U.S borders both the North Atlantic and North Pacific Oceans and is bordered by Canada and Mexico It is the third-largest country in the world after Russia and Canada and has a varied topography The eastern regions consist of hills and low mountains, while the central interior is a vast plain (called the Great Plains region)

The climate is mostly temperate but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic

in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest

In addition, the US is divided into 5 different regions: the Northeast,

Southwest, West, Southeast, and Midwest

+ The Northeast: There are 11 states that make up the Northeast Region of

the United States The specific climate of this region in the summer is warm to hot, while the winter is very cold and has about 46 inches of rain a year

+ The Southeast: There are 12 states in the Southeast Region of the United

States In the summer, the climate in this region is hot to very hot, while the winter is mild and it has about 606 inches of rain a year

+ The Midwest: There are 12 states in the Midwest region of the United

States The specific climate of this region in the summer is hot and humid, while the winter is cold to very cold and dry, and the most precipitation was 50 inches in Missouri and at least 13 inches in North Dakota

+ The Southwest: There are 4 states in the Southwest region of the United

States In the summer, the climate in this region is hot to very hot and dry, while in the winter it is mild and it has about 86 inches of rain a year (mostly in Oklahoma)

+ The West: There are 11 states in the West region of the United States In

the summer, the climate in this region is hot to very hot, while in the winter

it is mild and it has about 32 inches of rain a year

In America, there are many beautiful and impressive mountains, and here I

will go through some of them:

+ The first, The Rocky Mountains, is a major mountain range and the

largest mountain system in North America It rises abruptly from the Great Plains and extends northwesterly from northern New Mexico to Canada Compared with the Appalachians, the Rockies are geologically young and considerably more rugged

+ The second, Mt McKinley, is the tallest mountain in the United States

It is measured at 20,320 ft The natives originally named it Denali, meaning

"the high one."

+ Finally, The Grand Canyon is one the largest canyons in all the world

Carved out by the Colorado River for millions of years, it is 277 miles long, up to 18 miles wide and over a mile deep in some areas

In the U.S., besides the mountains and the desert, there is also a place

called Death Valley Death Valley is the lowest, driest, hottest location in

North America The hottest temperature ever recorded there was a staggering 134 degrees

About rivers: The main stems of 38 rivers in the United States are at least

500 miles (800 km) long

+ The Missouri River is a separate river and, therefore, it is the longest

river in the United States at 2,540 miles The Missouri River starts in the Rocky Mountains of Montana and flows into the Mississippi River near St Louis, Missouri It flows through ten states in the United States and two provinces in Canada When combined with the Mississippi River, it makes

up the fourth longest river system in the world

+ The Mississippi River is the longest river in the United States and the

fourth longest in the world It flows for 2,320 miles The Mississippi and its

tributaries, the Ohio and Missouri Rivers, make it the largest and busiest system in the United States

 So, The Mississippi and Missouri Rivers were the transportation arteries for farm and industrial products They were linked to ports and other parts of the world

The United States consists of thousands of lakes Some of the largest

freshwater lakes in the world are the Great Lakes in the Midwest, which

border Canada In addition, the U.S has islands but does not have many

large islands The largest would be the Hawaiian islands, which are linked

to the United States politically rather than geographically Alaska’s the Aleutian Islands and the Florida Keys are other small island chains

When it comes to a country's culture, we can't lack history And here I'll

give a brief overview of the history of the country's formation: At the height of the Ice Age, between 34,00 and 30,000 B.C., much of the world’s water was contained in vast continental ice sheets As a result, the Bering Sea was hundreds of meters below its current level, and a land bridge, known as Beringia, emerged between Asia and North America In 1492, on behalf of the King and Queen of Spain, Christopher Columbus was trying

to find a way from Europe to the Far East Surprisingly, he didn’t get to China Instead, he found some islands in the Atlantic Ocean near North America By accident, he discovered a new world Columbus thought it was near the Indies, so he called the people Indians When Columbus landed on the island of San Salvador in 1492, he was welcomed by a brown-skinned people whose physical appearance confirmed his opinion that he had at last reached India, and whom, therefore, he called Indios Before colonization, there were about 10 million people living in over 200

tribes By 1865, only 300,000 remained Because of the enforcement of their land, many died from diseases brought by the colonists In 1788, 13 colonies became the United States of America And then, America bought Louisiana from France in 1803 By 1837, new states had been created around the Mississippi By 1850, Oregon and California had become states

In 1862, a new law gave free land to settlers And by 1912, all states except Alaska and Hawaii had been created

The political system of the United States has operated under a two-party

system for most of its history, and the major parties are the Democratic Party (1824) and the Republican Party (1854) The American system of government is established by the United States Constitution There are three separate but equal branches of government The three branches are legislative, executive, and judicial

+ The Legislative Branch is the bicameral Congress, made up of the

Senate and the House of Representatives, makes federal law, declares war, approves treaties, has the power of the purse, and has the power of impeachment, by which it can remove sitting members of the government

In which, The Senate has 100 senators, and there are two senators in each

state Such a senator would be in office for six years, and this is called a

"term." Members of both houses are directly elected by the people In some states, the governor has the power to appoint a caretaker senator when there is a mid-term vacancy Senators meet in the U.S Capitol

building In contrast to the Senate, the House of Representatives has 435

representatives The more people that live in a state, the more representatives that state has Representatives serve for a term of two years, and they can be elected for more than one term

+ The Executive Branch, The president, or the chief executive, is the head

of the government Americans vote every four years for the leader of their democratic society After being elected to serve his/her country, the president lives and works in the White House The president is in charge of the armed forces and is the commander-in-chief of the military The president can veto legislative bills before they become law and appoint the Cabinet and other officers who administer and enforce federal laws and policies And the president works with the leaders of other countries

+ The Judicial Branch consists of The Supreme Court and lower federal

courts There, The Supreme Court is the highest court in the U.S and is the system of courts to settle questions about the laws Besides that, judges are appointed by the president with Senate approval, appoint, interpret laws, and can overturn laws they deem unconstitutional

Every country has different etiquette in daily life and in the workplace

And here are a few etiquettes that I know

+ In etiquette in daily life, greetings are casual For Americans, a smile

and a "hello" are needed They prefer a handshake as a first greeting It is accompanied by a light body hug, but this hug is suitable for family and friends Social kissing as a greeting is warm, and it is usually done only in the context of relatives, lovers, and friends They prefer someone to be called by their first name and by their title (Mr., Mrs., and Miss) Next is the introduction When you meet someone for the first time, use their title and their last name until you are told to do otherwise Always stand when you are introduced to someone, unless you are physically unable to do so However, it is very common and not at all impolite in the United States to

introduce yourself And Americans perceive direct eye contact when speaking to someone as a sign of attention and sincerity

There is also a section on gift-giving etiquette Americans give gifts for anniversaries, birthdays, and Christmas While gifts are given, they are not expected by the recipient Besides, there is a simple card with handwriting and a personal note that should be prepared as elaborated For example, when invited to someone’s home for dinner, guests can bring a small box

of chocolate or a bottle of wine for the hostess And a gift must be opened when it's received

Punctuality is highly emphasized in workplace etiquette If you are delayed, you should let your appointment known For example, if you are invited for a business meal, you should arrive promptly If you are invited

to a cocktail party, you can arrive up to a half-hour late without calling

In business situations, a handshake is used It should be very firm and only last for a few seconds Both men and women shake hands And then, the greeting "How are you?" is not an inquiry about your health The best response is a short one, such as "Fine, thanks." Besides, Americans often wave, smile, and nod in greeting in casual situations As for the introduction in the workplace, it is like the etiquette in daily life as mentioned above

Regarding gift-giving etiquette in the workplace, Business gifts are often discouraged by the law, and many companies have policies against accepting gifts above a certain dollar amount Corporate gifts are exchanged around Christmas If you are invited to a business dinner in a

home, a gift of wine or flowers should be brought And never address a woman in a business setting with "honey" or "dear," although these terms are common in the South

Here is some traditional American food:

+ Traditional Thanksgiving dinner with turkey, dressing, sweet

+ A cream-based New England chowder, traditionally made with clams + A Caesar salad containing croutons, Parmesan cheese, lemon, juice, olive oil, Worcestershire, and pepper

+ Creole Jambalaya with shrimp, ham, tomato, and Andouille sausage + Chicken Fried Steak (alternatively known as Country Fried Steak)

+ California club pizza with avocados and tomatoes

+ A submarine sandwich, which includes a variety of Italian luncheon meats

+ American style breakfast with pancakes, maple syrup, sausage links, bacon strips, and fried

+ A hot dog sausage topped with beef chili, white onions, and mustard

2 Independence, equality, informality, and directness are, in my

opinion, the most important American values

+ Equality in American culture refers to the belief that everyone is created equal and can have the same opportunities in society as everyone else

+ American informality tends to be extremely informal and somewhat disrespectful of authority For example, bosses often urge their employees

to call them by their first names Dress is another area where American informality will be the most noticeable, sometimes even shocking

+ Independence with regard to personal respect, promoting independence and independence is a typical American trait For example, most Americans choose their own classes and majors, pay for part or all of their own tuition, find a job, and plan their own marriage, instead of relying on their families

+ Directness with Americans is more important than saving face For example, Americans have always preferred the direct approach when informing people of unpleasant information They are likely to be completely honest in delivering their negative evaluations

Question 3:

1 The culture of United Kingdom

The UK's full and official name is the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland." The name "United Kingdom" refers to the union of what were once four separate countries: England, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland Great Britain is an island lying off the western coast of Europe, comprising the main territory of the United Kingdom It is a country of islands, such as Wales, England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland Across the English Channel from the UK is France West, across the Irish Sea, is the Republic of Ireland East, across the North Sea, is the Scandinavian Peninsula The name "Britain" is sometimes used to refer to the United Kingdom as a whole The capital is London, which is among the world’s leading commercial, financial, and cultural centers