Unit6

TextIAFrenchFourth

BackgroundInformation

ThistextistakenfromTheAtlanticMothly,July/August200TheauthorCharlesTrueheartisacorrespondentfortheWashingtonPostbasedinParis.Globalizationmakepeoplecantouchtheirownculturesmoreeasilyandchildrenabroadcanlearnthehistoryoftheirmotherlandfromschool.Theculturedividebetweendifferentcountriesislessjarring.However,ontheotherhand,peoplearelessthanfullyimmersedinatrulyforeignworld.

Analysis

Thistexttalksabouttheinfluenceofaforeigncultureonexpatriatedfamilies.Itcanbedividedintothreeparts.InpartI,theauthorstartswithawayofcelebratinghishomecountry’sNationalDay;InpartIIhemakesacontrastiveanalysisofthecostsandbenefitsoftheexpatriatedpeople;InpartIII,hetalksabouttheeffectofglobalization.

QuestionsforpartI:

1)

WhydoestheauthorhangtheAmericanflagfromhisfourth-floorbalconyinParis?

2)

Theauthorhaskepttheoldflagforalongtime.Whydidn’thegetanewone?

3)

Whydotheauthorandhisfamilygobackhomeforthesummer?

QuestionsforpartII:

1)Whatarethecostsandbenefitsofraisingchildreninaforeignculture?

2)

Whatistheauthor’spurposeoftellingthestoryofhisownchildreninParagraph4and5?Howisthestoryrelatedtohisargument?

3)

DidtheauthorachievethepurposeofhissummertravelintheU.S.?

QuestionsforpartIII:

1)

WhydoestheauthorrecallhisownexperienceasachildinParagraph10?

2)

Whatarethedifferencesbetweentheauthorandhischildrenasexpatriatesataboutthesametimeintheirlives?Whatcausesthedifferences?

3)

Whydoestheauthorsaythedevelopmentissad?

Languagework

foldaway—makesomethingintoasmaller,neatershapebyfoldingit,usuallyseveraltimes

Thesecampingchairscanbefoldedawayandputinthetrunk.

Thepieceofpaperwasfoldedawaycarefullyandtruckedintoherpurse.

thedateandtheoccasionthatpromptitsappearance:TheeventofthethirteensatesofBritishcoloniesdeclaringtheirindependenceonJuly4,1776broughtabouttheappearanceofthisflag.

suppresssuchoutwardsignsoftheirheritage:donotgivemanifestationsoftheirtraditionalculturehandeddownfromtheirancestors.

refuel:Itsoriginalmeaningistofillwithmorefuelforavehiclebuthereitmeanstofillsomeone’smindwithmoreknowledgeoftheirnativeculture.

Oiltankerswillaccompanythecontainersfortrans-oceanrefuelling.

Inasocietyofintensecompetition,peoplehavetorefueleveryyeartocatchupwiththerapidrenewalofknowledge.

theAmericaninme:thefeelingofbeingAmericanwhichisdeeplyrootedinmymind.

frameofreference:aparticularsetofbeliefs,ideas,orobservationsonwhichonebaseshisjudgment

Pleaseseetoitthatyouaredealingwithsomeonewithadifferentframeofreference.

Theobserverinterpretswhatheseesintermsofhisownculturalframeofreference.

squaredancing:atraditionalAmericandanceinwhichsetsoffourcouplesdancetogetherinasquareformation

surveyswithfringeontop:old–fashionedhorse-drawncarriageswithfancydecorationsontop

amuchlessjarringculturaldivide:amuchlessunsuitableculturaldivergence

10.

Re-entry...islikelytobesmoother.Itseemstobeeasierforthechildrentorestarttheacquisitionoftheirnativeculture.

Structuralanalysisofthetext

Inthistexttherearebothgeneralandspecificdiscussionsabouthowtokeeptheculturalidentityoftheexpatriatedpeople.

Theauthorofthistextfollowsa“specific-general”patterninhisdiscussion,i.e.hefirsttalksaboutwhatitmeanstohischildrentohangthenationalflagoftheirnativelandinaforeigncountryonJuly4theveryyearandthenexpresshisviewontheimportanceforexpatriatedpeopleingeneraltokeeptheirculturalidentity,especiallywhenthewholeworldisundergoingaprocessofglobalization.ThespecificpointscanbefoundinhisdiscussionofthecostsandbenefitsofraisingchildreninaforeignculturalinParagraph4-9whilethegeneralconclusioncanbefoundinParagraph10-12,especiallyParagraph1

Rhetoricalfeaturesofthetext

Generallyspeaking,theauthorofthistexthasadoptedaplainlanguagestyleandnothingseemsprominentandextraordinary.Butacloserlookwillshowthatconcessivewordsandexpressionslikebutarefrequentlyused.

I’veneverseenanyonelookup,butinmymind’seyeanAmericantouristmaynoticeitandsmile,andaFrenchpasserbymayberemindedofthedateandtheoccasionthatpromptitsappearance.(Paragraph1)Thefunctionofbuthereistoexpresstheauthor’sgoodwishthatAmericantouristsandotherexpatriatedfamiliesmaynoticetheflagandberemindedoftheirnationalidentity.

TheparticularnarrativesofAmericanhistoryaside,AmericancultureisnottheirsalonebutthatoftheirFrenchclassmates,too.Themusictheylistentoiseither“American”or“European”,butisoftenhardtotellthedifference.InmydaylittleFrenchkidslookedlikenothingotherthanlittleFrenchKids;butLouiseandHenryandtheirclassmatesdressmuchastheirpeersintheUnitedStatesdo,thoughwithperhapslessLands’Endfleeciness.(Paragraph11)ThefunctionofthethreebutshereistoshowthediminishingdifferencebetweenAmericancultureandEuropeanculture.

Ontheotherhand,theyarelessthanfullyimmersedinatrulyforeignworld.(Paragraph12)Thefunctionofontheotherhandhereistotellthereaderthepossibledisadvantageiftheexistingculturaldifferencesalldisappearasaconsequenceoftheongoingglobalization.

TextIIStuckintheMiddle

Referencesforquestionsfordiscussion:

Hewasfacedwithracialdiscrimination.TheAmericanlawprohibitedhimfromowninganypropertyorbecominganaturalizedcitizen,tonameonlyafewexamples.

No.AlthoughsheinheritedsomeritualsfromherChineseancestorssuchasbeingthriftyandpolite,sheisalsoinfluencedbytheCaucasiancultureandth