A Glimpse of American Culture and Values.doc

a glimpse of american culture and values 摘 要： 在当今时代，英语已经成为一种象征性的世界语言。而对于英语专业学生来说，深入地学习美国文化与价值观对于更好的了解美国人以及学好英语这门外语有着极为重要的意义。本文作者对于美国文化和价值观的观点主要基于美国历史。美国传统文化和价值观塑成美国人的态度和行为举止，并促使形成一个多元化的民族。其中，个人自由主义和自立作为美国文化的中心，发挥着重大的作用，同时也是整个美国文化的基础。关键词：文化；文化休克；个人主义；美国精神；唯物主义观；本国中心abstract: at present days, english has become a symbolic global language. for english major, to profoundly learn american culture and values is of importance to get a better understanding of americans and to learn english as a foreign language well. in this paper, all the authors points about american culture and values mainly base on american history. american traditional culture values help shape the americans attitudes and behaviors, and forms a land of diversity of nations. individualism of freedom and self-reliance are at the core of american culture, play an important role in between. meanwhile, they are the foundation of whole american culture.key words: culture; culture shock; individualism; american spirit; materialism; ethnocentrismcontentsabstract.1key words. .1i. introduction.2ii. literature review32.1 individual freedom.32.2 self-reliance.42.3 friendship pattern and privacy.52.4 direct and assertive.62.5 choice in education.62.6 the family.72.6.1 the american family structure and relationships82.6.2 living together and american views of marriage.82.6.3 the high divorce rate in the u.s.82.6.4 obligations towards the elderly .92.7 time and efficiency.102.8 equality of opportunity and competition .112.9 material wealth and hard work.122.9.1 americans materialism.122.9.2 american spirit.132.9.3 hard work.142.10 goodness of humanity and improvement.14iii. conclusion.15reference.15i. introductionthe united state of america is a land of diversity of nations. due to the large-wave immigrants of early years, american culture has been enriched by the values and belief systems of virtually every part of the world. here is something about the values that shapes the americans attitudes and behaviors.1) u.s. society is made up of a diversity of ethnic groups and cultures that have helped shape american values.2) some individuals and groups have a set of respected values that are quite different from those of mainstream america.3) peoples attitudes and behavior are based on their values.if any one word can begin to capture the essence of the united states of america, it might be diversity. spread across a continent of great geographic variety, culturally enriched by successive waves of immigrants from nearly every corner of the world, and decentralized into 50 politically and often culturally distinct states, the united states defies easy generalization.every culture has their own system of values and beliefs. american culture and values is closely related to their religions. on june 28, 1999 prof tommy koh spoke on “differences in asian and american values” (2/education/html/article-4632.html). americans emphasize the importance of success, personal achievement and helping others.1) on personal values, americans emphasized achieving success in life, personal achievement and helping others.2) on societal values, americans emphasize the importance of personal freedom and individual rights.in this aspect, the poem on the statue of liberty which is located on 12-acre liberty island in new york harbor is the best reflection.“the new colossus” by emma lazarus, new york city, 1883not like the brazen giant of greek fame,with conquering limbs astride from land to land;here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall standa mighty woman with a torch, whose flameis the imprisoned lightning, and her name mother of exiles.from her beacon-handglows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes commandthe air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.“keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries shewith silent lips. “give me your tired, your poor,your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,the wretched refuse of your teeming shore.send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,i lift my lamp beside the golden door!”(/cap/liberty/lazaruspoem.html)it was a gift of international friendship from the people of france to the people of the united states and is one of the most universal symbols of political freedom and democracy.ii. literature reviewwhat is culture?culture is shared beliefs and values. it is social rules that motivate people. given a group of people, a culture will develop as they seek to create their sense of identity by differentiating the in-group from the out-group (wu, 2003:13).culture is the total accumulation of beliefs customs, values, behaviors, instructions and communication patterns that are shared, learned and passed down through the generations in an identifiable group of people (davis, 2001).consequently, it is impossible to be comprehensive the american culture. nevertheless, a few selected values are at the core of the american value system. and to get a better understanding of american culture may help us from culture shock, which davis defined as in his doing culture cross-cultural communications in action in 2001:troublesome feelings such as depression, loneliness, confusion, inadequacy, hostility, frustration, and tension, cause by the loss of familiar cues from the home culture.2.1 individual freedomthe one value that nearly every american would agree upon is individual freedom. whether you call it individual freedom, individualism, or independence, it is the cornerstone of american values.triandis (1995:2, 36-37) defined individualism as: “a social pattern that consists of loosely linked individuals view themselves as independent; are primarily motivated by their own preferences, needs, rights, and the contacts they have established with others; give priority to their personal goals over the goals of others; and emphasize rational analyses of the advantages and disadvantages to associating with others.individualists base identity on what they own and their experience.”a comprehensive and logical definition of this term is not easy to obtain. individualism is not the opposite of socialism except in a very general and incomplete way. perhaps the following will serve as a fairly satisfactory description: the tendency to magnify individual liberty, as against external authority, and individual activity, as against associated activity. individualism is scarcely a principle, for it exhibits too many degrees, and it is too general to be called a theory or a doctrine. perhaps it is better described as a tendency or an attitude.many americans feel it is a good thing to have some “personal time”, i.e. to spend some time alone doing whatever they want to. (“alone” does not necessarily mean being “lonely”.) this time might be used for reading, writing, exercise, watching tv, working on a hobby, or almost any other activity, but no many people what is as important as the activity itself is that they can choose what to do with that time. this may be seen as a reflection of the american emphasis on individualism.2.2 self-reliancethere is, however, a price to be paid for this individual freedom: self-reliance. it is perhaps one of the most difficult aspects of the american character to understand. but it is profoundly important. individuals must learn to rely on themselves or risk losing freedom (xu, 2004:21). u.s. americans are encouraged at an early age to be independent and to develop their own goals in life. they are encouraged to not depend (too much) on others including their friends, teachers and parents (deng, 2004:53). they are rewarded when they try harder to reach their goals. it means that americans believe they should take care of themselves, solve their own problem, and “stand on their own two feet” (wu, 2003:84-86).this is maybe one of the most dominant values of american life. while parents generally expect to be financially responsible for basic things that their children need (food, clothing, etc.), many parents encourage their children to take part-time jobs in order to earn their own “spending money” for non-essential items. this custom trains young people to be financially self-reliant, and also to take responsibility for their own financial affairs. other customs, such as sending children to summer camps, is helping young people become accustomed to living away from home.most americans believe that they must be self-reliant in order to keep their freedom .if they rely too much on the support of their families or the government or any organization, they may lose some of their freedom to do what they want (wang, 2004:87). this is especially true of american culture in which self-reliance approaches the importance of a religion.most americans are taught from an early age that they should take care of themselves, and in general they view self-reliance as a virtue (liu, 2001:36). because of this, most americans try to do things for themselves as much as possible, and some may even feel a little insulted if someone tries to help them too much-it seems to imply that they cant take care of themselves.the other side of this coin is that americans expect other people to also be self-reliant, to help those they consider in genuine need. there is little sympathy for those who are not perceived as trying to help themselves. its often felt that help should be deserved (wang, 2004:69-70).2.3 friendship pattern and privacyfriendships in individualist american cultures tend to be more transient and voluntary. one consequence of the western pattern of friendships that they tend not to be as deep as friendships in chinese culture, and the level of emotional investment is not as great few friendship are deep and close, and most are relatively limited (davis, 2001:67). for example, privacy is important even among friends, and friends right to interfere in each others lives is definitely limited. its also not uncommon for friendships to be confined to specific shared activities, so one might have “work friends”, “tennis friends”, and so forth (liu, 2001:39-42). americans wont welcome the ones (including their parents) who visit without calling in advance. another consequence is that there tends to be less mutual obligation between friends in american cultures than there is in chinese culture (davis, 2001:69). of course friends normally try to help each other, but they generally do not go to such great lengths as chinese friends will, and they also have less right to expect or demand help from each other.compared to people of their cultures, americans make new friendships quickly and easily. this is part because american culture is very mobile, and people often move to new places many tomes during their lives, so they need to be able to set down new roots quickly. the other side of this is that americans are also accustomed to leaving friendships, and while most americans will not chop off a friendship just because someone moves away, they accept the fact that many friendships wither away over time.americans tend to be rather open about discussing most topics, particularly among friends, but personal topics such as relationship are somewhat sensitive, and if strangers ask about them at all they should do so cautiously. one sign that americans dont want to discuss a topic is vague short answers to questions; more clear specific response often indicate more interest in pursuing a topic.2.4 direct and assertiveu.s. americans try to work out their differences face-to-face and without a mediator. they are encouraged to speak up and give their opinions. school students are often invited to challenge or disagree with certain points in the lecture. foreign visitors often interpret this manner of direct speaking as rude.americans commonly use the word “assertiveness” to describe the person who plainly and directly expresses feelings and requests. americans will often speak openly and directly to others about things they dislike. they will try to do so in a manner that the other person will not find offensive or unacceptable. americans, valuing pragmatic action, are quick to come to the point in conversation. americans say what is on their minds, even if it risks damaging the relationship (davis, 2001:96-99).the way americans communicates tends to be relatively explicit and direct. in other words, americans tend to put most of their idea and feelings into words, and then state these idea and feelings plainly and openly. its generally considered a good thing to “get to the point” and “say what you mean”, and it is largely the speakers responsibility to ensure that his/her message is stated in a way that is clear and easy to understand. this kind of communication style is sometimes called “low context” because people are expected to pay more attention to the words used in communication than to the context in which things are said. they expect others to “take them at their word”; i.e. to believe that what they say is what they mean.2.5 choice in educationeducation is often regarded as the key to opportunity, including financial security. americans take a pragmatic approach to learning, so what one learns outside the classroom through internships, extracurricular activities and the like is often considered as important as what is learned in the classroom. consequently, lifelong learning is valued which results in many adult and continuing education programs. americans have many choices. in school they decide their major field of study, perhaps with or without their parents influence, and students even get to select some of their courses. these “elective” courses often confuse foreign students who may expect a more rigid curriculum.fight for your right lyrics-beastie boyskick it!you wake up late for school - man you dont wanna goyou ask you mom, “please?” - but she still says, “no!”you missed two classes - and no homeworkbut your teacher preaches class like youre some kind of jerkyou gotta fight for your right to partyyou pop caught you smoking - and he said, “no way!”that hypocrite - smokes two packs a dayman, living at home is such a dragnow your mom threw away your best mag (busted!)you gotta fight for your right to partyyou gotta fight (solo)dont step out of this house if thats the clothes youre gonna wearill kick you out of my home is you dont cut that hayour mom busted in and said, “whats that noise?”aw, mom youre just jealous its the beastie boys!you gotta fight for your right to partyyou gotta fight for your right to partyparty, party(jonathan harels lyrics collection at )this song came out in 1986, so it is pretty old, but it is a classic. it is short and rocks pretty hard, but it expresses a lot about attitudes towards education, parents and the idea of “rights”. so it became very popular in a short time after it came out.2.6 the familyamerican family ties-such as the tie between married couples or between parents and children-tend to be looser they are in china. for example, couples in the us are far more likely to divorce than couples in china are. americans are also much less likely to live with and personally care for elderly parents than chinese people are. some chinese may feel that these examples show americans dont consider family ties as important as chinese people do, and they may even be quite critical of such behaviour, feeling that it indicates selfishness and a lack of concern for others. while there may be some truth to such judgements, a good understanding of theses aspects of american culture requires a somewhat deeper explanation.2.6.1 the american family structure and relationshipsanother aspect of american society that may bewilder non-americans is the family. the nuclear family structure (parents and children) is so alien to most cultures in the world that it is often misunderstood. the main purpose of the american family is to bring about the happiness of each individual family member. the traditional family values include love and respect for parents, as well as for all members of the family. however, the emphasis on the individual and his/her right to happiness can be confusing. it allows children to disagree, even argue with their parents. while in most other cultures such action would be a sign of disrespect and a lack of love, which is not the same case in the united states. it is simply a part of developing ones independence.2.6.2 living together and american views of marriagefor a variety of reasons, living together before or even in lieu of marriage has become more common in the us over the last several decades. one reason is that attitudes towards sex are much more relaxed, so there is less public disapproval of couples being sexually active outside marriage. another is a decline in respect for the institution of marriage (not surprising given the high divorce rate). a third would be creasing sense that when a relationship is no longer fulfilling to both partners it can and should be terminated; this conditional view of relationships discourages firm long-term commitments. however, while living together is more accepted now the several decades ago, there are still many people who could not approve of itor who would at least feel defensive about it.while traditional american views of marriage placed more e