Differences and Similarities of British and American Characters
As the saying goes, each place has its own way of supporting its own inhabitants. Different environment, lifestyle, geography, weather, ideology and history lead to different characters. Such as, diligent Chinese, adventurous Americans, romantic Frances, rigorous Germans and so on. This paper is to have a contrastive study of British and American Characters and find the similarities and differences of these two countries’ characters.
At first, we begin the study with British. British is the first country to industrialize,and English is the language that is used most widely in the world. What on earth is this nation’s character? I’m very curious about this. So I find a few features of British character by information searching.
As a whole, the most significant character of British is conservation. British is symbolized by “John Bull”,and conservation is one of the bull’s characters.
Second, British like solitude and freedom. Many British do the first thing which is put fences around their house when they move to a new house so that they can be isolated from the outside. There is an idiom: Good fences make good neighbors. And Chinese have a similar proverb as well: A hedge between keeps friendship green.
Third, they are cold and detached. British people don’t like talking with strangers. They are hardly excited, and they even look down upon the people who are excitable. Maybe you will never know where they live or what they like, although you work with them for many years. But once they make friends with
you, they will be loyal to your friendship.
Forth, British people are antiforeign and overweening. As many other island countries, British have a island country’s psychology. They also have an deep superiority. “So English!” is the highest compliment When British praise something. And they always say: “Truth on this side of the Channel error on the other.” Wherever they travel or business to, they often check in the hotel where waiter or waitress speak English. And more, Only few British people will to learn other countries’ languages and realize other nations’ tradition.
Fifth, they are humorous. British people laugh at their own fault, failure, awkward situation and even ideal. This sense of humor is not only a joke to make people laugh, but also a attitude of life. They never laugh at other people’s misfortune or failure at any time, so it’s a respectable nation.
Last, British is well famous for their gentleman. Britain has the longest modern public administration system, so everyone behave gently.
Next, we talk about the characters of American. First,It is very important for American to leave a good expression on other people. The real problem which they worry about is being seen indifferent so that they may be isolated . For normal person., it means lonely. For politicians, it means failing election. So American like making friends broadly, and their relationships are always harmonious.
Second, American are independent so that they don’t like depending on others and being depended by others.American parents think that offspring being independent from childhood is beneficial to their social life in the future. But this independent spirit of American may become a tragedy for the old.
Third, American are pragmatic. Comparing with British, American don’t make a big entrance. On the contrary, they admire the person who are intelligent and capable. They love DIY. So many American people can use machine, fix the electrical equipment, paint wall by themselves.
Forth, American don’t think high of one’s background but his talent and ability. Compared with British again, we will find a interesting condition: In England, if you ask someone’s identity, you will get an answer with a long title and a lots name of their forefather. In that place, man’s parentage decides his destiny. But in America, the condition is far different. American ex-president Truman worked as farmer, grocery keeper, officer and lawyer. And Reagan also worked as lifeguard, announcer and actor, etc.
Then we talk about similarities of American and British characters. As we all know, almost all sports are invented by English people. Boxing, rugby, football, hockey, tennis and cricket all started develop and made rules from Britain. So equity plays a important role in British daily life. Likewise, during the developing of America, fairness is an important element as well. I t is well known that Declaration of the Rights of Man said:All man are created equal.
In conclusion, American love fancy-free. British are more traditional and gentleman. We can conclude American characters are enthusiastic, outgoing, adventurous, creative and frank humorous. Correspondingly, British characters are indifferent, implicit, introverted, conservative and gentle humorous.
Works Cited
网络文章
Lu Zhenzhen. “A Contrastive Study of British and American
Characters and Implications.”
刘宁，周琦.“英国人性格浅谈”，May 8, 2010
张晨霞.“美国人的性格特点及其成因”.黑河学刊，2009（4）：46-48.
An Analysis of the Design of the First Assembly in Pride and Prejudice [Abstract] In Pride and Prejudice, the first assembly is the stage of the debut of hero, Darcy and the heroine, Elizabeth. Therefore, the design of this assembly, including which part of the assembly should be narrated directly in the description of the assembly, how to do with other things happened during the party, how to shape the characteristics and personality of the two main characters as well as other important role on the assembly, is essentially significant to the character portrait for the whole novel. Mainly employing description of language and technique of comparative description, the plot about this assembly is well-designed as three parts, before, during and after the assembly, which is efficient to the character figuring of the novel. [Keywords] character figuring, design, description of language, comparative description The novel introduces the first assembly in Chapter 3, using only half of a chapter to directly describe things happened on the party while two other whole chapter to show people’s discussion on it. By the delicate design, vivid language description and useful comparative description, the description of this party is highly efficient to the chapter portrait of this novel. Before the party, Mrs. Bennet’s worry about Mr. Bingley’s going into the town is showed, which totally reveals the purpose of Mrs. Bennet’s participating in the dinner, again echoing the description of Mrs. Bennet’s saying "If I can but see one of my daughters happily settled at Netherfield, and all the others equally well married, I shall have nothing to wish for." (Austen, 2001: 2) at former plot. In the case, the assembly is platform to looking for sweetheart, love and even possible marriage (Yang, 91). At the end of this paragraph, Mr. Bingley’s invitating his sisters and Darcy leads to the appearance of these important characters. For the description of things happened during the party, instead of using scene description to the setting of the ball or psychological description to the participators, language description organized by comparative technique is mainly employed to mould different personality of different participant. First of all, It can be directly seen that the description of Mr. Hurst’s and Mr. Darcy’s first appearance is put in the same paragraph and connected by the conjunction “but”,
Helen Keller Zhang Chu (09yingjiao1-35) Abstract：This passage shows about a blind deaf author and educator—Helen Keller. When she was half a year old, an unexpected disaster happened to her which made her forfeit the instinct for living. After that, this little girl became isolated to the vivid and dramatic world. However, in the darkness and a lonely world, she didn't give up and never surrendered to fate. With the help and encouragement from her teacher Anne Sullivan, she overcame all the sufferings caused by the physical defects tenaciously. She learned to speak and study, and began to communicate with others. When she was 24, she graduated from Radcliffe College, Harvard University and became a knowledgeable famous writer and educator, who got hold of five languages. Helen’s life is extraordinary and she gave us great encouragement. She taught us to cherish our health and this wonderful time. Key words: Helen Keller, Anne Sullivan, love, encourage, breakthrough, success 1. Introduction The background of Helen Keller’s family and education did a beneficial foundation for Helen Keller’s success. 1.1Family Background Helen Adams Keller was born on June 27, 1880, in Tuscumbia, Alabama. Her family lived on a homestead, Ivy Green, which Helen's grandfather had built decades earlier. Helen's father, Arthur H. Keller, spent many years as an editor for the Tuscumbia North Alabamian and had served as a captain for the Confederate Army. Helen's mother, Kate Adams,was the daughter of Charles Adams. Helen's paternal grandmother was the second cousin of Robert E. Lee. In a word, hose in Helen’s family members had extraordinary position, which gave a superior foundation for Helen’s success in defeating the suff erings. Helen's father's lineage can be traced to Casper Keller, a native of Switzerland. Coincidentally, one of Helen's Swiss ancestors was the first teacher for the deaf in Zurich. It might be another helpful factor for her to overcome the troubles.(1998:1-2) 1.2Education background
英国文学史 I. Old English Literature & The Late Medieval Ages
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百年中国的英国文学史书写研究 本论文以中国大陆的英国文学史为研究对象,考察从民国时期到当前近百年间英国文学史的发展历程,经历了哪些变迁?和西方的英 国文学史书写有何不同?受到了哪些因素的影响?体现了哪些特征?等等。论文运用文学史的相关概念和理论,从文学观念、文学史观、文学史书写体例和文学史经典建构四个方面讨论了英国文学史在国内 的发展历程,最后选取了不同时期的四个个案,来进一步说明以上讨 论的问题。除绪论和结语,论文主体部分共分5章。绪论部分简略地介绍了英国文学史在中国书写的学科背景,英国文学史在中国的发展概况,研究现状,写作目的,写作思路等。第一章从文学观念的角度讨论英国文学史的书写问题,说明文学观念是如何影响和决定着文学史家对材料的选择和处理,并对比了西方的几部英国文学史来说明中国的英国文学史在文学观念上的书写特色和所受影响。近代意义上的文学观念是西方传入的纯文学观,纯文学观念对国人影响极大,国内的 大部分英国文学史都坚持纯文学观念,收入的是诗歌、小说、戏剧和散文。泛文学观念影响下文学史把历史、哲学、书信、日记、箴言、小册子都纳入文学史料的范围内。后理论时代的大文学观念对国内英国文学史书写最大的影响就是收入了原来的亚文学类属的文本,妇女文学、地区文学、族裔文学、通俗文学进入文学史,而跨学科性质的文学史在国内并未出现。第二章从文学史观的角度讨论了英国文学史书写问题,并分为二个主要的时期,即民国时期以进化论为主导的文 学史书写和建国后以马克思主义唯物论为主导的文学史书写。无论是
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英语国家概况 名词解释 1. The civil rights movement (1955–1968) refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African Americans and restoring suffrage in Southern states. 2. A federal system A federal system is one in which power is shared between a central authority and its constituent parts with some rights reserved to each. 3. King Arthur It is said that he was the King of England in the 5th century and united the British and drove the Saxons back with his magical sword, Excalibur. His real existence is in doubt. He is the central figure of many legends. 4. The Anglo-Saxons They were two groups of Germanic peoples who settled down in England from the 5th century. They were regarded as the ancestors of the English and the founders of England. 5. Riverdance Riverdance is a very popular form of dancing based on I reland’s intricate folk dances which are rearranged and modernized and adapted onto current stage performance. Dancing is traditionally part of Irish culture. It is usually accompanied by the Irish pipe and fiddle. The music usually sounds fast and furious. Most of the action is from the waist down, with the arms held rigidly at the sides. 6. The House of Commons The House of Commons is the real centre of British political life because it is the place where about 650 elected representatives (Members of Parliament) make and debate policy. These MPs are elected in the General Elections and should represent the interests of people who vote for them. 7. The Commonwealth It is a voluntary association of states which is made up of Britain and mostly of former British colonies. There are 54 members of the Commonwealth including one currently suspended member: many of these are developing countries like India and Cyprus; others are developed nations like Australia, Canada and New Zealand. The Commonwealth was set up as a forum for continued cooperation and as a sort of support network. 8. Maoritanga Maoritanga means ―Maori culture‖. It refers to all the elements of the rich cultural heritage of the indigenous people in New Zealand, including their language, customs and traditions. 9. The “Washminster” form polity The ―Washminster‖form of polity is adopted by the Australian government. It is a mixture of the US Washington system of government and the British Westminster system. This means that the political
XX英语文学论文开题报告范文题目 an analysis of the character portia in the merchant of venice 一、本课题的研究目的及意义 (一)研究目的 莎士比亚作为英国文艺复兴时期最杰出的艺术大师，被马克思称之为“最伟大的戏剧天才”。透过似真似幻的舞台和匠心独具的故事，莎翁塑造了一系列不朽的人物典型。尤其是塑造了众多而鲜明的人物形象。在莎士比亚的剧作中出场的女性人物有一百多人，在众多的女性人物中上至贵族，下至平民百姓，几乎是各不相同。而《威尼斯商人》中的鲍西亚更是被公认为莎士比亚笔下别具风采的女性形象。众多评论家认为莎士比亚戏剧中刻画的女性形象大都非常贴近生活，具有巨大的认识价值。。在这一讽刺喜剧《威尼斯商人》中鲍西亚美丽、善良、机智、自信、富有才华和胆识，正体现了莎士比亚从男性的视觉自发塑造的理想中的新女性。作为新女性的鲍西亚，具有一定的判逆性格，不甘于被命运摆弄做逆来顺受的“家庭天使”，在一定程度上体现了莎士比亚对人文主义精神的追求。然而，从女性主义的视角来分析，在男性为中心的社会里，鲍西亚绝非真正具有女性的自我意识，而是甘于向父权社会妥协的不完美的新女性。本课题通过对《威尼斯商人》中鲍西亚形象的分析，让读者
了解鲍西亚思想上、性格上的先进性与局限性，对现代女性起到一定的启示作用。 (二)研究意义 莎士比亚通过对生活细致入微的观察，对人性深刻的剖析，创作出《威尼斯商人》这部极具讽刺性的喜剧。在莎士比亚的笔下，女性的感情与理智平分秋色，女性是以与男性平等的形象出现的。这在鲍西亚这一角色身上表现最为突出。鲍西亚美丽温柔、忠贞不渝、善良可爱、机智勇敢、足智多谋。她掌握着自己的命运，不仅在自主选择丈夫方面，而且在与夏洛克的斗争中起到了关键性的作用。在当今的现实生活中，鲍西亚光彩照人的女性形象也可以带给人们启迪和借鉴。鲍西亚在金钱和爱情的杠杆上，选择了爱情。在她的内心深处爱情价更高，是金钱、物质所无法取代的。她对于爱情忠贞不渝和执着，值得现代生活中个别只追求物质享受的女人去学习。在现实生活中，个别人不应该由于自己的优越条件而歧视别人，更要学会不用有色眼光去看待别人。在法庭上，讲义气、才智非凡的鲍西亚女扮男装以法律博士的身份出场，使剧情有了戏剧性的转折，使夏洛克一步步在不知不觉中陷入她的计策。她成功的妙计足以显示出其学问深厚，机智敏锐，有胆有识的特点，这种女性形象也是我们所认同和赞赏的。《威尼斯商人》中的鲍西亚人物形象具有生动鲜明，栩栩如生，有血有肉等特点。本文通过对《威尼斯商人》
一、The Anglo-Saxon period (449-1066) 1、这个时期的文学作品分类：pagan(异教徒) Christian(基督徒) 2、代表作：The Song of Beowulf 《贝奥武甫》( national epic 民族史诗) 采用了隐喻手法 3、Alliteration 押头韵（写作手法） 例子：of man was the mildest and most beloved, To his kin the kindest, keenest for praise. 二、The Anglo-Norman period (1066-1350) Canto 诗章 1、romance 传奇文学 2、代表作：Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (高文爵士和绿衣骑士) 是一首押头韵的长诗 三、Geoffrey Chaucer (1340-1400) 杰弗里.乔叟时期 1、the father of English poetry 英国诗歌之父 2、heroic couplet 英雄双韵体：a verse unit consisting of two rhymed(押韵) lines in iambic pentameter(五步抑扬格) 3、代表作：the Canterbury Tales 坎特伯雷的故事(英国文学史的开端) 大致内容：the pilgrims are people from various parts of England, representatives of various walks of life and social groups. 朝圣者都是来自英国的各地的人,代表着社会的各个不同阶层和社会团体 小说特点：each of the narrators tells his tale in a peculiar manner, thus revealing his own views and character. 这些叙述者以自己特色的方式讲述自己的故事，无形中表明了各自的观点，展示了各自的性格。 小说观点：he believes in the right of man to earthly happiness. He is anxious to see man freed from superstitions(迷信) and a blind belief in fate(盲目地相信命运). 他希望人们能从迷信和对命运的盲从中解脱出来。 4、Popular Ballads 大众民谣：a story hold in 4-line stanzas with second and fourth line rhymed(笔记) Ballads are anonymous narrative songs that have been preserved by oral transmission(书上). 歌谣是匿名叙事歌曲,一直保存着口头传播的方式
The Sports Culture of the United Kingdom ---An Introduction to the UK 姓名：谢宏桥 学号：2012213047 班级：七班 分数： 2013 年 12 月20 日 When it comes to the United Kingdom, People will always think of the British gentlemen with traditional hat and cane. In fact, sports are as traditional as gentlemen in Britain. The United Kingdom, a traditional and strong country not only in the area of industry and comprehensive national strength, but also in the area of sports, has a long history for playing sports. A lot of major sports originated in the UK, including association football, golf, tennis, boxing, rugby league, rugby union, cricket, field hockey, snooker, billiards, squash, curling and badminton, all of which are popular in Britain. Even the table tennis and baseball, the Chinese and American national sports, originated from Britain. Now British sports not only affect the social context at home, but also have a great impact outside home. We even can regard the sports as a reflection of British culture. Let’s know about Britain from its sports culture. 1. Various important sports originating in the UK 1.1 Association football. Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a very important sport originated in his traditional home—England in the 19th century. The laws of the game were originally codified in England by the Football
Interpretation of “Bartleby” 2012 English Class, 1204402019, Crush Abstract Herman Melville?s tale “Bartleby”is one of those highly acclaimed symbolic short stories in the 19th century. Bartleby is an exploited worker in the capitalistic prison—Wall Street. To some critics, he is “a Thoreau-like practitioner of passive resistance”or “an autobiographical projection of Melville as alienated author.”1In this article, I am going to concentrate on the dark, ruthless commercial society and its defective capitalist values the narrator wants to reveal in “Bartleby”; specifically, I will illustrate how the narrator?s failure to understand the existence of Bartleby and to help him indicates the limitations of rationalism. Further more, I will also try to explain what does Bartleby really need, and how can people really save him from terrible forlornness. Key words Bartleby society limitation rationalism capitalist values Melville?s “Bartleby”is narrated by the first-person narrator, as he describes himself, is “a man who, from his youth upwards, has been filled with a profound conviction that the easiest way of life is the best…one of those unambitious lawyers who never addresses a jury, or in any way draws down public applause; but in the cool tranquility of a snug retreat, do a snug business among rich men?s bonds and mortgages and title-deeds.” He is quite satisfied with his profitable life. He is proud of himself in his successful business and proudly attached that he was once employed and praised by John Jacob Astor: “All who know me consider me an eminently safe man. The late John Jacob Astor, a personage little given to poetic enthusiasm, had no hesitation in pronouncing my first grand point to be prudence; my next method.”The narrator is a typical business man of Wall Street—the epitome of the increasing urbanized, capital-driven society. The author does not set Wall Street as the backdrop randomly, but uses it 1(journal articles) Y on-jae Jung, “The Poe-esque Elements in Melville?s…Bartleby the Scrivener?”, Foreign Literature Studies 4 (2009), p. 63.
Chapter1 Early and Medieval Literature Three stages of English literary development: The Roman Conquest（55BC——410AD） The Anglo-Saxon Period（410——1066AD） Three tribes：Jutes，the Angles，and the Saxons The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle盎格鲁撒克逊编年史 The greatest literary achievement during this period is Beowulf。Beowulf贝奥武甫——epic，alliteration ★Epic: a long narrative poem telling about the deeds of a great hero and reflecting the values of the society from which it originated. Many epics were drawn from an oral tradition and were transmitted by song and recitation before they were written down. ★The whole epic is divided into two parts and tells of two major events in the life of Beowulf.①He kills a monster;②He fights a dragon. The Norman Conquest(1066-------1350AD) 下层：ballad民谣（ballads which are the most important parts of English folk literature） 上层：chivalry骑士文学：Sir Gawain and the Green Knight （alliteration verse） ★Most of the English romances deal with three major themes: Ⅰ.The Matter of Britain——which is about the adventures of King
英国历史文化论文精编 版 MQS system office room 【MQS16H-TTMS2A-MQSS8Q8-MQSH16898】
英国历史文化 现代世界的一个突出特征是许多国家都形成了宗教信仰多元化的现实，其中包括英国。英国宗教信仰多元化的问题不但反映了这个国家宗教文化的历史进程，更重要的是从一个侧面说明了宗教与、经济、、民族等问题的密切关联，这些关联又证实了宗教在现代世界各国的重要意义所在。但是，从我们掌握的情况看，国内有关英国宗教问题的研究成果很少，而专门研究英国宗教多元化问题的论着还没有见到。因此，研究、分析和了解英国宗教多元化的历史成因、表现及其特点（注：本文为教育部重点研究基地重点项目“现代欧美人口迁移与宗教多元化”的阶段性成果。），不但具有历史学科价值，也具有现实意义。 历史上宗教信仰多元化的起源与发展 1054年基督教公开分裂为天主教和东正教以后，英国原本也是一个天主教国家。1529年，都铎王朝的亨利八世以教皇不同意他与王后离婚为由开始与罗马教廷走向决裂。与罗马教廷决裂后的英国教会称“安立甘宗(Anglican Communion)”，又称“圣公会(Anglican Churches)”，具有国教的地位。由于英国与罗马教廷的决裂是经由亨利八世的改革来进行的，而且亨利八世并没有宣布放弃天主教信仰，改革后的英国国教保留了主教制等天主教传统，安立甘教成为一个既有罗马天主教传统、又有新教特点的教派。由于国教内部对天主教残余问题存在不同看法，加之其他新教教派观点和思想的传入，使英国宗教从近代开始出现了多元化的趋向。 首先，英国安立甘教本身分为“高教会派”和“低教会派”两大教派。所谓高教会派，又称“安立甘公教派”，也可以翻译为“英国天主教”，英语为Anglo-Catholicism，主张天主教传统礼仪和教义，但提倡改革教会；所谓低教会派，又称“安立甘宗福音派”，也有人翻译为“福音新教”，英语为Anglican Evangelicals，强调个人悔改和虔修，注重在圣公会中保持新教传统，贬低天主教礼仪和教义的重要性。尽管英国所有的安立甘教派，包括扩散到英国国外殖民地上的安立甘教派都以坎特伯雷大主教为精神领袖，但在对待天主教及其传统的态度等问题上存在分歧，所以，安立甘教内部的多元化已成事实。 其次，在宗教发展史上，英国安立甘教经历了曲折的历史发展过程，其中包括爱德华六世时期的改革、血腥玛丽时期的天主教复辟、伊丽莎白时期的恢复国教统治，最后，终于发展成为一场对英国宗教、政治，乃至经济都发生重大影响的内战。由