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of 92
Central Board of Secondary Education
Central Board of Secondary Education
Class - X
Unit - 8
Other Worlds Other CulturesStudents Manual
The CBSE-International is grateful for permission to reproduce and/or translate copyright
material used in this publication. The acknowledgements have been included wherever
appropriate and sources from where the material has been taken duly mentioned. In case
anything has been missed out, the Board will be pleased to rectify the error at the earliest
possible opportunity.
All Rights of these documents are reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
printed or transmitted in any form without the prior permission of the CBSE-i. This material
is meant for the use of schools who are a part of the CBSE-International only.
PrefaceEducation plays the most important role in acquiring professional and social skills, and a positive attitude towards face the challenges of life. Curriculum is a comprehensive plan of any educational programme. It is also one of the means forbringinga bout qualitative improvement in an educational system. The Curriculum initiated by the Central Board of SecondaryEducation-International (CBSE-i) is a progressive step in making the educational content responsive to global needs. It signifi esthe emergence of a fresh thought process in imparting a curriculum which would restore the independence of the learner to pursue the learning process in harmony with the existing personal, social and cultural ethos.
The CBSE has introduced the CBSE-i curriculum as a pilot project in a few schools outside India in 2010, in classes I and IX andextended the programme to classes II, VI and X in the session 2011-12. It was further extended to classes III, VII and for Senior Secondary classes with class XI in the session 2012-13. It is going to be introduced in classes IV, V, VIII and XII in the session 2013-14 in the schools outside India and in classes I, II and III in the schools within the country.
The Senior Secondary stage of education determines the course of life of a student. At this stage, it becomes extremely important for students to develop the right attitude, a willingness to learn and an understanding of the world around them and to be able to take the right decisions for their future. The senior secondary curriculum is expected to provide the necessary basefor the growth of knowledge and skills, and thereby enhance a students potential to face the challenges of global competitiveness. The CBSE-i Senior Secondary Curriculum aims at developing the desired professional, managerial and communication skills as required in of the world of work. CBSE-i is for the current session offering curricula in ten subjects i.e. Physics Chemistry, Biology, Accountancy,Business-Studies, Economics, Engineering Graphics, Home Science, Computer Science, Information Practices, ICT, English,Mathematics I and Mathematics II. Mathematics at two levels caters to the differing needs of students of pure sciences andcommerce. The curriculum has been designed to nurture multiple intelligences like linguistic or verbal intelligence, logicalmathematica lintelligence, spatial intelligence, sports intelligence, musical intelligence, inter-personal intelligence and intra-personal intelligence.
The Core skills are the most signifi cant aspects of a learners holistic growth and learning curve. The objective of this part of thecore of curriculum is to scaffold the learning experiences and to relate tacit knowledge with formal knowledge. This involvestrans-disciplinary linkages that would form the core of the learning process. Perspectives, SEWA (Social Empowerment through Work and Action), Life Skills and Research would be the constituents of this Core.
The CBSE-i Curriculum evolves by building on learning experiences inside the classroom over a period of time. The Board whileaddressing the issues of empowerment with the help of the schools administering this system, strongly recommends thatpractising teachers become skilful and life long learners and also transfer their learning experiences to their peers through the interactive platforms provided by the Board.
The success of this curriculum depends upon its effective implementation and it is expected that the teachers will applythemselves to creating better facilities, developing linkages with the world of work and fostering conducive environment, as per the recommendations of the curriculum document.
I appreciate the effort of Dr. Sadhana Parashar, Director (Academics, Research, Training and Innovation), CBSE, and her team involved in the development of this document. I specially appreciate the efforts of (Late) Dr. Srijata Das for working tirelessly towards meeting deadlines.
The CBSE-i website enables all stake holders to participate in this initiative through the discussion forums. Any further suggestions on improving the portal are always welcome.
Vineet JoshiChairman, CBSE
Acknowledgements
Ideators IX-XDr. Anju Srivastava Ms. Sarita Manuja Mr. Mukesh Kumar Prof. Chand Kiran SalujaMr. N K Sehgal Ms. Preeti Hans Ms. Varsha Seth Dr. Usha SharmaDr. Uma Choudhary Ms. P Rajeshwary Ms. Sunita Tanwar Ms. Renu AnandMs. Anita Sharma Ms. Suganda Vallli Ms. S Radha Mahalakshmi Dr.Rajesh Hassija
AdvisoryShri Vineet Joshi, Chairman, CBSEDr. Sadhana Parashar, Director (Academics, Research,Training & Innovation), CBSE)
Conceptual FrameworkShri G. Balasubramanian, Former Director (Acad), CBSEMs. Abha Adams, Consultant, Step-by-Step School, NoidaDr. Sadhana Parashar, Director (Academics, Research,Training & Innovation), CBSE
Coordinators:
Chief Co-ordinator:Ms. Kshipra Verma, EO
(Late) Dr. Srijata Das, Education Offi cerShri R. P. Sharma, Consultant (Science)Shri Al Hilal Ahmed, AEOMr. R. P. Sharma, Consultant (Science)Mr. Sanjay Sachdeva, D. O.
Ms. P Rajeswary Education Offi cerMs. Reema Arora Consultant (Chemistry)Ms. Prabhjot Kaur Consultant
Mr. Sandeep Sethi Education Offi cerMs. Deepa Shukla Consultant (Biology)Mr. Navin Maini, RO(Technology)
Ms.S. Radha Mahalakshmi Education Offi cerMs. Neelima SharmaConsultant (English) Mr. R P Singh, AEOMs. Deepa Shukla Consultant (Biology)Mr. R P Singh, AEO
Material Developers: Classes IX-XEnglish:Ms. Gayatri KhannaMs. Renu AnandMs. P RajeswaryMs. Sarabjit KaurHindi:Ms. Sunita JoshiMs. Babita SinghMs. Veena SharmaMr. Akshya Kumar Dixit
Core-Sewa:Ms. VandnaMs. Nishtha BharatiMs. Seema Bhandari,Ms. Seema ChopraMs. MadhuchhandaMs. Reema AroraMs. Neha Sharma
Core-Research:Ms. Renu AnandMs. Gayatri KhannaDr. N K SehgalMs. Anita SharmaMs. Rashmi KathuriaMs. Neha SharmaMs. Neeta RastogiMs. Manjushtha BoseMs. Varsha MankuDr. K L Chopra
Core-Perspectives:Ms. Renu AnandMs. Gayatri KhannaDr. N K SehgalMs. Anita SharmaMs. Rashmi KathuriaMs. Neha SharmaMs. Neeta RastogiMs. Manjushtha BoseMs. Varsha MankuDr. K L Chopra
Biology:Ms. Pooja SareenMs. Neeta Rastogi
Physics:Ms. Novita ChopraMs. Meenambika Menon
Chemistry:Ms. Charu MainiMs. S Anjum
Mathematics:Dr. K P ChindaDr. Ram AvtarSh. Mahender ShankarSh. J C NijhawanMs. Rashmi KathuriaMs. Reemu VermaMs. AartiMs. Himani Asija
Economics:Ms. Anubha Malhotra Ms. Vintee SharmaMs. Chaitali Sengupta
ICT:Mr. Yogesh KumarMs. Nancy SehgalMs. Purvi SrivastavaMs. Babita MahajanMs. Ritu AroraMs. Swati PanhaniMs. Chanchal Chandna
Geography:Ms. Meera BharihokeMs. Parul TyagiMs. Sonia JarulMs. Neena PhogatMr. Nisheeth Kumar
History:Ms. Sajal ChawalaMs. Jyoti SharmaMs. Kamna KhuranaMs. Shalini ChaturvediMr. Dalia HaldarMs. Preeti Gupta
Political Science:Dr. Sangeeta MathurMs. Ananya RoyMs. Sunita RatheeMs. Amarjit KaurMs. Nishu SharmaMs. Manisha AnthwalMs. Mamta Talwar
Other World Other Culture
Contents
Section A
What is Culture 1
Section B
Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes 6
Section C
Valuing Diversity 17
Section D
Everyone Has a CultureEveryone Is Unique 34
Section E
When I Was Growing Up 57
Section F
Boyhood Days 64
Read
ing
Skill
s W
riti
ngSk
ills
Spea
king
Skill
sLi
sten
ing
Skill
sVo
cabu
lary
Gra
mm
ar
Wha
t is
cultu
re?
Iden
tifyi
ng c
ultu
res
with
the
help
of
visu
al c
ues
in
tros
pect
ing
thro
ugh
a m
ind
map
he
lpin
g th
em
appr
ecia
te
dive
rsity
thro
ugh
verb
al c
ues
ap
prec
iatio
n of
w
orld
cul
ture
de
fi nin
g m
ater
ial
or n
on-m
ater
ial
Ex
pres
sing
an
d di
scus
sing
vi
ews
on th
e cu
lture
Fam
ilaris
ing
the
lear
ner
with
Cul
ture
Vo
cabu
lary
Sect
ion
Read
ing
Skill
s W
riti
ngSk
ills
Spea
king
Skill
sLi
sten
ing
Skill
sVo
cabu
lary
Gra
mm
ar
Two
Scav
enge
rs
in a
Tru
ck,
Two
Beau
tiful
Peop
le in
a
Mer
cede
s
(poe
m)
Ta-N
a-E-
Ka b
y
Mar
y W
hite
bird
(sto
ry)
Id
entif
ying
co
ntra
stin
g cu
lture
s
A
ppre
ciat
ing
poet
ic la
ngua
ge
Com
para
tive
stud
y
In
terp
retin
g id
eas
in a
poe
m b
y re
latin
g it
to o
ther
m
ater
ial o
n th
e sa
me
them
e an
d to
ow
n ex
perie
nce
and
know
ledg
e.
Tr
ansc
odin
g id
eas
from
ver
bal t
o vi
sual
form
A
ppre
ciat
ing
the
text
co
nnot
atio
n,
imag
ery,
and
ot
her p
oetic
de
vice
s
Co
mpa
ring/
co
ntra
stin
g di
ff ere
nt p
oem
s
Stor
y el
emen
ts
D
iscu
ssin
g
cont
rast
ing
cultu
res
A
bilit
y to
ap
prec
iate
the
unde
rlyin
g m
eani
ng b
y ge
nera
ting
ques
tions
Cultu
re w
ords
/ te
rms
App
reci
atio
n/ u
se
of im
ager
y as
a
poet
ic d
evic
e
Sect
ion
Read
ing
Skill
s W
riti
ngSk
ills
Spea
king
Skill
sLi
sten
ing
Skill
sVo
cabu
lary
Gra
mm
ar
Valu
ing
Div
ersi
ty
Read
the
text
abou
t the
Nac
irem
a tr
ibe
(pas
sage
)
Uni
que
Dog
on
Cultu
re
Surv
ives
in
Wes
t Afr
ica
(Fac
tual
pass
age)
Id
entif
ying
m
ain
poin
ts o
f a
pass
age
D
raw
ing
infe
renc
es
Id
entif
ying
ritu
als
in th
e te
xt.
Re
ad to
un
ders
tand
the
gist
of t
he te
xts
Re
ad fo
r spe
cifi c
in
form
atio
n
U
nder
stan
d m
eani
ngs
in
cont
ext
M
akin
g in
fere
nces
co
mpr
ehen
sion
Sh
ow
com
preh
ensi
on b
y fi l
ling
in th
e ta
bles
W
rite
a de
scrip
tion
of a
per
son
M
akin
g a
post
er
Ex
pres
s th
eir
opin
ions
and
id
eas
in a
gro
up
disc
ussi
on
Mat
ch th
e w
ords
to
thei
r mea
ning
s
to fa
mila
rise
the
lear
ners
to
voca
bula
ry in
the
text
/ rel
ated
Sect
ion
Read
ing
Skill
s W
riti
ngSk
ills
Spea
king
Skill
sLi
sten
ing
Skill
sVo
cabu
lary
Gra
mm
ar
Ever
yone
Has
a Cu
lture
Ever
yone
Is
Uni
que
Coun
trie
s,
Food
, and
Cultu
re
Id
entif
ying
fe
atur
es o
f you
r cu
lture
A
ppre
ciat
ing
uniq
uene
ss o
f ea
ch c
ultu
re
D
esig
ning
a fl
yer
Gro
up d
iscu
ssio
n
Sect
ion
Re
spec
ting
diff e
renc
es/
appr
ecia
ting
dive
rsity
St
uden
ts le
arn
abou
t his
tory
an
d cu
lture
by
stu
dyin
g a
part
icul
ar
food
that
is
impo
rtan
t to
thei
r fam
ily.
Read
ing
Skill
s W
riti
ngSk
ills
Spea
king
Skill
sLi
sten
ing
Skill
sVo
cabu
lary
Gra
mm
ar
The
All-
Am
eric
an S
lurp
Lens
ey
Nam
ioka
Enco
urag
ing
inqu
iry
re
adin
g fo
r co
mpr
ehen
sion
Cr
itica
l Thi
nkin
gev
alua
ting/
an
alyz
ing/
in
ferr
ing
etc
to
app
reci
ate
a st
ory
that
de
scrib
es c
ultu
ral
diff e
renc
es
to
lear
n ab
out a
fe
w a
spec
ts o
f Ch
ines
e et
ique
tte
to
defi
ne
onom
atop
oeia
an
d id
entif
y ex
ampl
es o
f it i
n lit
erat
ure
to
und
erst
and
the
impo
rtan
ce o
f th
eme
in a
lite
rary
w
ork
to
rese
arch
fa
mou
s Ch
ines
e A
mer
ican
s an
d th
eir c
ontr
ibut
ions
to
soc
iety
Writ
ing
a de
bate
W
ritin
g an
in
form
al le
tter
Gro
up D
iscu
ssio
n
Dis
tingu
ishi
ng
betw
een
surf
ace
and
deep
cul
ture
.
Aust
ralia
n A
borig
inal
Cul
ture
Cond
ition
al C
laus
es
I, II
and
III
cond
ition
al
Sect
ion
Read
ing
Skill
s W
riti
ngSk
ills
Spea
king
Skill
sLi
sten
ing
Skill
sVo
cabu
lary
Gra
mm
ar
Whe
n I W
as
Gro
win
g U
p
Nel
lie W
ong
Boyh
ood
Day
s: A
n
Auto
biog
raph
y
by B
ooke
r T.
Was
hing
ton
Brea
king
aw
ay fr
om
ster
eoty
pes
Re
ad a
var
iety
of
text
s w
ith th
e th
eme
of c
ultu
re
Ana
lyzi
ng to
ne/
moo
d/ s
ettin
g/
them
e
Venn
dia
gram
Dai
ry e
ntry
Crea
ting
a tim
elin
e
Lett
er w
ritin
gfo
rmal
and
in
form
al
Cultu
ral I
cons
G
roup
dis
cuss
ion
Look
ing
for i
nfer
red
mea
ning
s
Sect
ion
General Objectives
Why should we do this unit?
Culture refers to the pattern of human activity. It is represented through the art, literature, costumes, customs and traditions of a community. Diff erent cultures exist in diff erent parts of the world. The natural environment greatly aff ects the lifestyle of the people of that region, thus shaping their culture. The diversity in the cultures around the world is also a result of the mindsets of people inhabiting diff erent regions of the world.
The cultural values of a community give it an identity of its own. Culture is shared by the members of a community. It is the customs and traditions that the people of a community follow, the festivals they celebrate, the kind of clothing they wear, the food they eat, and most importantly, the cultural values that bind them together.
Culture is seen as a system of social control, wherein people shape their standards and behaviour. The cultural values form the founding principles of ones life. They infl uence principles and philosophies of life. They infl uence ones way of living and thus impact social life. The importance of culture lies in the fact that it is a link between people and their value systems.
The unit will enable the students to dispel prejudices and appreciate the multiplicity of cultures across the world. The students will learn about other cultures through World literature, in translation.
Multiculturalism and Global studies are a top priority in Education today and this Unit will help students to discover that people are much the same everywhere.
In this Unit students will develop all four skillslistening, speaking, reading, and writing. In addition they will develop language structure, conventions and literary devices Literature is a mirror to life and therefore tells us about people. In this Unit students will learn about other cultures through World literature, in translation.
Note:
A wide selection of activities to be provided to help any teacher wishing to extend their students beyond the learning outcomes/expectations outlined here.
Research and life skills are built into the methodology of every Unit
Specifi c Objectives
Students will:
listen to a song
listen for gist and specifi c information
listen closely to follow dialogue/ narration in English
Students will:
conduct an interview
express their opinions and ideas in a group discussion
debate an issue, giving reasoned arguments for their views
participate in role play
Students will:
read a variety of texts with the theme of culture
read to understand the gist of the texts
read for specifi c information
understand meanings in context
fi nd out the etymology of selected vocabulary in the given text
read and understand a poem on the given theme
Students will:
write a formal letter
write an informal letter
write a description of a person
compare and contrast ideas and write a point of view
write a role play
Contents of the unit
I. Short Story/ Narratives
Valuing Diversity
(a) Nacirema tribe
(b) Unique Dogon Culture
The All-American Slurp by Lensey Namioka
Boyhood Days From: Up From Slavery: An Autobiography by Booker T. Washington
II. Poems
Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes
When I Was Growing Up by Nellie Wong
III. Listening/ speaking
listen to a song Everything Stops For Tea and completing the accompanying tasks.
listen to a passage on Australian Aboriginal Culture
present views through discussions.
discuss their views on reading passages; express their views on various structured exercises; verbal and non verbal communication; and debate on various topics
enact role-plays
IV. Writing
to react to/analyse a given situations
write a story/ writing diff erent ending to the story.
write an article
write a conversation/ dialogue
fi ll in cartoon bubbles
1Section A
What is Culture?
Warm up1. The pictures given below refl ect people across the globe. Match the pictures
to the countries in the box below, by fi lling in the number given to the country.
(1) Bhutan (2) Greece (3) West Africa (4) Egypt (5) Mexico
(6) Jamaica (7) Hong Kong (8) Tibet (9) Arabia
22.1 Draw a mind map and write words/phrases that describe how people feel when they visit and stay in a foreign country. Also give reasons why they feel so.
2.2 Which of the following words describe your feelings best when you are in a foreign country for the fi rst time and give reasons to each statement.
anxious, nervous, uncomfortable, embarrassed, secure, enthusiastic, confi dent, fascinated, suspicious, worried, depressed, calm, uncertain, curious, ecstatic
(i) ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
(ii) ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
(iii) ___________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________
How people feel when they visit and stay in a Foreign country?
Uncertain because they are not sure how they will be received by the people there
32.3 Complete the following statements
1. The thing that I would be most worried about is _____________________
2. Something I would feel confi dent about ___________________________
3. The person that I would miss the most ____________________________
4. Something that I might be uncomfortable about ___________________
5. The thing that I would fi nd most exciting __________________________
Divide yourself into groups of four and from discuss all the above statements in groups. Give reasons for your views/opinions. Each group makes a group
decision and presents it to the class
Culture Is A Part Of Your Universe
3.1 Bring out the similarities/diff erences between traditional and modern culture.
Traditional (previous generation) Present (your generation)Food
Dress
Attitude towards age
Role of family
Responsibility of children/teens
Concept of beauty
Religious beliefs
Values
Dance/music
Painting/literature
43.2 Has there been a change in the culture over the last few decades? What do you think leads to this change?
__________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
4.1 Which family do you most associate with? Why? Share your ideas.
54.2 Rate how important you think these diff erences are to people in your school or workplace.
Least important Fairly important Very Important1. People fi nd the characteristics which result from a common genetic
bond important.
2. The world treats us diff erently because we are born male or female
3. The generation that grows up together experiences people in a unique way.
4. Economic status (poor, middle class or rich) infl uences how people see us.
5. People make judgments according to our work.
6. People judge us accord to our educational level.
7. Our body size and shape - whether fat or thin, tall or short, aff ect our interactions.
8. People who are disfi gured, hearing impaired or physically challenged experience the world diff erently.
9. People make judgments based on where we live or where we come from.
10. People judge others according to their religion.
5. Our biases at times completely shadow our thinking. We fail to see the essential human similarities across the globe. Culture can be material or non-material
Culture
Material Nom-material
Food, dress, omaments, houses automobile,
Symbols, attitudes, ideas, beliefs, song, dance music
6Section B
Two Scavengers in a Truck, Two Beautiful People in a Mercedes
Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Warm up
1. Look at the two pictures and bring out the diff erences by fi lling in the columns given below.
Two Scavengers ina Truck
Two Beautiful Peoplein a Mercedes
1. Dress
2. Food
3. Language
4. Ideas
5. Beliefs
6. Entertainment
72. Read the poem
1 At the stoplight waiting for the light
nine a.m. downtown San Francisco
a bright yellow garbage truck
with two garbagemen in red plastic blazers
standing on the back stoop
one on each side hanging on
and looking down into
an elegant open Mercedes
with an elegant couple in it
The man
in a hip three - piece linen suit
with shoulder - length blond hair and sunglassed
The young blond woman so casually coifed1
with short skirt and coloured stockings
on the way to his architects offi ce
2 And the two scavengers up since four a.m.
grungy from their route
on the way home
The older of the two with grey iron hair
1. Styled - she has a casual-looking hairdo
8 and hunched back
looking down like some
gargoyle2 Quasimodo3
And the younger of the two
also with sunglasses and long hair
about the same age as the Mercedes driver
3. And both scavengers gazing down
as from a great distance
at the cool couple
as if they were watching some odourless TV ad
in which everything is always possible
4. And the very red light for an instant
holding all four close together
as if anything at all were possible
between them
across that small gulf
in the high sea
of this democracy
2. A spout in the shape of a grotesque head, used to clear rainwater from old buildings3. The ti tle character from Victor Hugos novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame
92.1 Choose the right answer.
1. The title makes it obvious that the poem will be about the between two pairs of people/diff erent cultures.
a. similarity
b. contrast
c. hatred
d. bonding
2. The literary device that contrasts between the two sets of people in a garbage truck and a Mercedes is
a. juxtaposition
b. antithesis
c. metaphor
d. oxymoron
3. The vivid/graphic description of the scene is the.
a. simile
b. metaphor
c. imagery
d. contrast
About the poetLawrence Ferlinghetti (born March 24, 1919) is an American poet, painter, liberal activist, and the co-founder of City Lights Booksellers & Publishers. Author of poetry, translations, fi ction, theatre, art criticism, and fi lm narration, he is best known for A Coney Island of the Mind, a collection of poems that has been translated into nine languages, with sales of over 1 million copies.
10
2.2 Fill the columns to show your understanding of the poem
Language
Structure
Theme
Personal Response
Unusual (American) words Simile Repetition Alliteration Personnifi cation Metaphor
Stanza/sentencelength/shape
Stanza content (storyline).
What is it talking about?
Viewpoint.
Tone/emotion of piece.
What point/s do you think the poem is making?
How eff ective do you think the poem is in achieving its goals?
Images/feelings
11
2.3 Comprehension : Based on your reading, answer the following.
1. Why do you think the author used the word elegant twice to describe the rich couple (line 8 and 9)?
2. Quote the words that
(a) describe the job of the garbagemen
(b) their envy or longing
3. Give an example of alliteration to describe the rich couple.
4. What is the description of the fi rst garbageman designed to make you feel (lines 22 - 24)?
5. What is the importance of colour in this poem?
6. Comment on the phrase small gulf on line 39.
2.4 Discussion
1. The garbage men are looking down into the Mercedes. At face value, this is clearly because the garbage truck is higher than the car, but is there an ironic message too. Bring out the irony in the phrase.
2. The descriptions of the four people are very visual, making it easy to imagine the scene. Appearances tell us a lot. Comment.
3. The poem is written in the present tense. This gives a sense of immediacy - we feel that the poem is happening now. From a wider perspective, it also suggests that the huge gap between the rich and the poor is a problem now, too. Justify.
4. The language is modern, simple and sometimes colloquial (eg, cool couple). There are short forms/ symbols - & is used instead of and (lines 12 and 24). Why did Ferlinghetti choose this style?
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5. Is the poet successful in bringing out the class divide in the society? The poet comments on the obvious gap between rich and poor. Do you think it is possible to bridge the gap? Or is an Utopian society, free of class distinctions, only a myth?
6. The older garbage man has a hunched back and looks like some gargoyle Quasimodo This simile is striking: Quasimodo is the Hunchback of Notre Dame in Victor Hugos novel. He is a tragic fi gure: kind and loving despite his ugliness, he fi nally dies of a broken heart. Quasimodo means almost fi nished or half made. Do you think Ferlinghetti compares the dustman to Quasimodo simply to help us imagine his appearance, or for other reasons?
2.5 Have a look at these quotations. Fill in the table to explain what they suggest about the cultural diff erences
Quotation Suggestion
...the two scavengers up since four am/grungy from their route
...the cool couple...
as if anything at all were possible/between them...
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3. Work in groups of four.
(1) Find two poems which you could compare Two Scavengers in a Truck... to. Example: Imtiaz Dharker: Blessing; Niyi Osundare: Not my Business.
(2) Cross-cultural activities
a. Speak up the word(s) for hello in as many diff erent languages as possible.
b. Where does your name come from? Share the story of where your name comes from and what your name means. Helps to build intercultural respect and understanding.
(3) Divide the class into two groups. Each group is given diff erent sets of cultural rules to role play, then having to work out ways to communicate and solve tasks using their diff erent cultural norms. Make a creative presentation as a skit, panel discussion or role - play.
4. Speaking
Role - Play
The scavengers and the beautiful people have been observing each other. As the signal light turns green, the Mercedes and garbage truck move on. They discuss their observations, longings, desires or perhaps curse their fate.
In pairs write dialogues that suggest the life styles, values, and opinions of each class as well as their opinions of each other.
Enact the your role plays to the class
Remember:
Decide the context for the exercise and the role(s) that each student will play. The context is generally a specifi c problem.
Objectives
The students will bring out
Contrasting material cultures Attitude towards other cultures
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Confl icting thoughts/ideas Cultural divide
Like any inquiry-based exercise, role-playing needs to be followed by a debriefi ng for the students to defi ne what they have learned and to reinforce it.
This can be handled in refl ective essays, or a concluding paragraph at the end of an individual written assignment, or in a class discussion. The students can express if they learned the lessons defi ned before the role-play began.
5. Assignment
Additional task. May or may not be done
Ta-Na-E-Ka by Mary Whitebird is a short story that talks about a ritual of adulthood for the members of the Kaw Tribe. It is very important to the Kaw Tribe adults, but the children of the new generation, including Mary, do not value it very much. Mary fi nds a conniving way to avoid the hardships. Though disappointed at her deceptive ways, her grandfather comes to see that she had developed ways to survive in the changing, modern adult world.
STORY ATTACHED AS THE ANNEXURE I
Read the story and discuss the Story Elements:
- Setting
- Characters
- Confl ict
- Climax
- Resolution.
6. Listening
Frequent tea breaks are the bane of offi ce productivity. One strange custom requires you to ask everyone around whether theyd like tea or coff ee whenever you go to get some for yourself. Often people will try and wait each other out so that they can avoid this chore.
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The tea break is so famous there is even a song about it. Listen to the song, Everything Stops For Tea and answer the questions given below by ticking the right option. [Featured in Buchanans 1935 comedy fi lm, Come Out Of The Pantry (Goodhart / Hoff man / Sigler) Jack Buchanan]
[Song in the Teachers manual]
Choose the best option
1. The Turkish love
a. tea
b. coff ee
c. ink
d. wine
2. The work in the factories comes to a standstill because
a. the workers tire out.
b. the machines can work ceaselessly
c. people want to chat with friends
d. its time for a tea break
3. The working of the courtroom .. because it strikes four.
a. is resumed
b. is suspended
c. becomes tense
d. becomes non - serious
4. Cleopatra told Mark Anthony to wait for an hour because
a. the time wasnt auspicious
b. she didnt like meetings at three
c. it was time for a break
d. she loved tea
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5. Tea is better than champagne because
a. its cheaper
b. its a stimulant
c. it relaxes you
d. all the above
6. Franz Schubert didnt fi nish his masterpiece because..
a. it was time to have tea
b. stopped for a break
c. he didnt fi nd a hot cup of tea
d. people stopped for a break
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Section C
Valuing Diversity
Warm up1. Look at these pictures and guess the culture of the Nacirema tribe in
America.
Notice: Nacirema is American spelt backwards
D re s s :
Food:
Body piercing:
2. Ritual has been an integral part of human life in every civilization and every historical era. Read about the cultures and rituals of the Nacirema tribe.
1. Naciremas are a North American group living in the territory between the
Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumare of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles. Little is known of their origin but
2. Nacirema culture is characterised by a highly developed market economy which has evolved in a rich natural habitat. While much of the peoples time is devoted to economic pursuits, a large part of the fruits of these labours and a considerable portion of the day are spent in ritual activity.
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The focus of this activity is the human body, the appearance and health of which loom4 as a dominant concern in the ethos of the people. While such a concern is certainly not unusual, its ceremonial aspects and associated philosophy are unique.
3. The fundamental belief underlying the whole system appears to be that the human body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to debility5 and disease. Incarcerated6 in such a body, mans only hope is to avert these characteristics through the use of ritual and ceremony. Every household has one or more shrines devoted to this purpose. The more powerful individuals in the society have several shrines in their houses and, in fact, the opulence of a house is often referred to in terms of the number of such ritual centres it possesses. Most houses are of wattle and daub construction, but the shrine rooms of the more wealthy are walled with stone. Poorer families imitate the rich by applying pottery plaques to their shrine walls.
4. While each family has at least one such shrine, the rituals associated with it are not family ceremonies but are private and secret. The rites are normally only discussed with children, and then only during the period when they are being initiated into these mysteries.
5. The focal point of the shrine is a box or chest which is built into the wall. In this chest are kept the many charms and magical potions without which no native believes he could live. These preparations are secured from a variety of specialised practitioners.
6. The most powerful of these are the medicine men, whose assistance must be rewarded with substantial gifts. The
4. A Become visible5. weakness6. imprisoned
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charm is not disposed of after it has served its purpose, but is placed in the charmbox of the household shrine. As these magical materials are specifi c for certain ills, and the real or imagined maladies of the people are many, the charm-box is usually full. The magical packets are so numerous that people forget what their purposes were and fear to use them again.
7. The Nacirema have a fascination with the mouth, the condition of which is believed to have a supernatural infl uence on all social relationships. Were it not for the rituals of the mouth, they believe that their teeth would fall out, their gums bleed, their jaws shrink, and their friends desert them. They also believe that a strong relationship exists between oral and moral characteristics. For example, there is a ritual ablution of the mouth for children which is supposed to improve their moral fi bre.
8. The daily body ritual performed by everyone includes a mouth-rite. This rite involves a practice which strikes the uninitiated stranger as revolting. Reportedly, the ritual consists of inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth, along with certain magical powders, and then moving the bundle in a highly formalised series of gestures.
9. In addition to the private mouth-rite, the people seek out a holy-mouth-man once or twice a year. These practitioners have an impressive set of paraphernalia7, consisting of a variety of augers, awls, probes, and prods. The use of these items in the exorcism of the evils of the mouth involves almost unbelievable ritual torture of the client. The holy-mouth-man opens the clients mouth and, using the above mentioned tools, enlarges any holes which decay may have created in the teeth. Magical materials are put into these holes. If there are no naturally occurring holes in the teeth, large sections of one or more teeth are gouged out so that the supernatural substance can be applied. In the clients view, the purpose of these ministrations8 is to arrest decay and to draw friends.
7. Supplies, equipments8. support
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10. The above mentioned medicine men have an imposing temple, or latipso, in every community of any size. The more elaborate ceremonies required to treat very sick patients can only be performed at this temple. The latipso ceremonies are so harsh that it is phenomenal that a fair proportion of the really sick natives who enter the temple ever recover. Small children have been known to resist attempts to take them to the temple because that is where you go to die. Despite this fact, sick adults are not only willing but eager to undergo the protracted ritual purifi cation, if they can aff ord to do so. No matter how ill the supplicant or how grave the emergency, the guardians of many temples will not admit a client if he cannot give a rich gift to the custodian. Even after one has gained and survived the ceremonies, the guardians will not permit the person to leave until he makes still another gift.
11. There are ritual fasts to make fat people thin and ceremonial feasts to make thin people fat. The review of the ritual life of the Nacirema has certainly shown them to be a magic-ridden people. It is hard to understand how they have managed to exist so long under the burdens which they have imposed upon themselves.
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3. On the basis of your reading, answer the following questions
1. Do you fi nd the Nacirema rituals of body fascinating? Yes/No. give reasons
2. Which of their habits do you fi nd most peculiar and why?
3. Do you fi nd some of their habits useless, cruel, and insensible? Why?
4. How would you perceive the Nacirema rituals when compared to the system of our own patterns of behaviour, habits, and values?
5. If members of other cultures chanced to visit us, what do you think might fi nd most surprising about us? What according to you would they appreciate the most?
6. Try to name as many rituals of your culture as possible (food, clothes, hygiene, proposing, roles of men and women in various situations, ways of communication etc.). Can all our rituals be rationally explained or do we stick to them just because it has been done like that from time immemorial?
7. Have you ever come across quite diff erent rituals on your travels abroad? What were they like?
8. Do you think one way of abiding in the world can be considered better than others? Why?
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4. Writing
4.1 Imagine you have visited the Nacirema people. Write an article in about 200 words on what you think of them.
An article should contain:
Title that is eye-catching and encapsulates the theme Byline Content that is clear, accurate, off ers a balanced view Paragraphs that
i) introduce the theme
ii) bring out the cause-eff ect relationship
iii) off er suggestions, personal observations, predictions
Originality of ideas Logical arrangement of ideas
4.2 Do you think tribal culture should be preserved? Write a letter to the editor expressing your views.
Letters to the Editor are written to
Give suggestions on a public interest issue Give suggestions on an issue already raised in an article/write-up/
published letter
They form the most important part of interactive journalism - readers react to the news item or articles to express their agreement or disagreement.
Readers also write to the Editor to draw the attention of the authorities towards problems that concern a large number of people.
How to write
Begin with reference to a recent development/ event/ issue Give details of topic - bring out cause - eff ect relationship. Off er suggestions/solutions Do not ask the editor to solve the problem as he can only voice your
views, ideas.
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4.3 Create a poster, helping people look at tribes with empathy.
Main Features of a poster
(a) Layout
Visually attractive Catchy title/jingle Sketch or simple visuals Fonts of diff erent shapes and sizes
(b) Content
Theme/subject Description/details related to the theme Essential details e.g. date, time, venue Names i.e. issuing authority, organizers
(c) Expression
Organizing and sequencing of content Appropriate language Creativity (language and design)
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Unique Dogon Culture Survives in West Africa
Warm up
5. Read this news clip about the Dogon tribe
1. How do you think, the ancient tribe got this knowledge?
2. Did this knowledge really come from aliens?
The Sirius Mystery
Were the Dogans in touch with people from other planets?Because there are no paved roads, no electricity, no surface water and little contact with the outside world, the Dogan Territories have been called the "end of the earth." But what has amazed and mystifi ed researchers most is the fact that the Dogan have a quite unusual and extensive knowledge of the star system. Their myths from before 3200 BC contain amazing astronomical knowledge. These legends speak of Jupiter's four moons and Saturn's rings, which were not seen by human beings until the invention of the telescope. They speak of the star Sirius and of a pair of invisible companions. One of them circles Sirius every fi fty years, and is made of a metal that is the heaviest thing in the universe.
But what makes this so remarkable is that star called Sirius B, was fi rst photographed in 1970 and its great density was not known or understood until the early decades of the twentieth century. The strangest thing of all is that the visitors are believed to have given the Dogon tribe astronomical information the tribe people wouldn't have had the technology to fi nd out for themselves.
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6. Read about the Dogon way of life
1. The Dogon are a cliff -dwelling people who live in Southeastern Mali and Burkina Faso in West Aftrica, who have a strange but fascinating culture. Today, some 300,000 Dogon live along a roughly 125-mile-long swath of land in 700. They live in one of the harshest environments on Earth, the hot arid belt where mean yearly temperatures are the highest, and mean annual rainfall is the lowest in the world.
2. Local Dogon historians explain the fi rst man who came here found paradise trees, rabbits, and water. But they also found dangerous creatures such as the crocodiles. No one knows how the crocodiles got there because they are miles away from the nearest rivers. Some allege that god put them there to fi nd a sympathetic home with the Dogon. Therefore the Dogons feed the crocodiles and it is forbidden to harm them and kill them. During the rainy season when there is drought the Dogon priest asks prays to the crocodiles for rains. For the Dogon every rock plant and animal is powerful spirit that must be respected.
3. Since Dogon have survived for centuries, withstanding constant slave raiding parties of the successive empires, they have evolved a keen sense of cultural preservation and an ability to withstand outside forces of change.
4. The Dogon construct exceptional mud buildings. They have a unique architecture, ranging from thatched fl at-roofed huts to distinctive tapering granaries. There are a series of cemeteries along the cliff -face, reached by ladders, where the Dogon bury their dead. These have been designated a World Heritage site due to its cultural signifi cance.
26
5. Dogon villages have male granaries which is a storage place for grains. This building is well protected from mice. The amount of fi lled male granaries is an indication for the size and the richness of a guinna9. Female granary is a storage place for a womans things, her husband has no access. Here, she stores her personal belongings such as clothes, jewellry, money and some food.
6. The Dogon live in tightly - knit communities. A grouping of family compounds make up a Togu. All villages have at least one Togu Na, a meeting room where the village leaders meet to discuss village aff airs. It is a shelter open on all four sides and supported by stone or wood pillars that carry a roof made of millet thatch.
7. The Dogon are divided into family groups, who perform diff erent functions. The three principal cults are the Awa, Lebe and Binu. The Awa society is responsible for spiritual functions of Dogon culture concerning death. They are known to communicate with the spirits of their ancestors. The souls of the dead are lead to their fi nal resting place by the Awa dance. The Lebe are the group responsible for the agricultural spirits.
8. The Dogon cultural rites refl ect awareness of the necessary harmony between the human spirit, the land, and surrounding animal life. One of example of how this balance unfolds can be seen in the fox divination ceremony. This ceremony is performed in the evening by priest called diviner. He draws the patterns into the sand, he chants to invoke the sacred fox to come and make a prophecy. The following day, the paw prints of the fox path across the sand drawing are traced. The priest with these tracings foretells the future.
9. members of the extended family collecti vely are called guinna
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Dogon Mask Dance 9. During the dances of the Dogon
wear masks; these masks have infl uenced Western 20th-century artists such as Picasso and Braque!
10. The visually powerful sirige mask, binds the Dogon people to the celestial world of heaven and Earth, which provides food, shelter and life. The dancers use their teeth to balance the 20-foot high mask, which is carved from the limb of a single tree.
11. The Dogon perform with their dancing masks to honor the passing of a respected elder. This dama dance ceremony will often last for three days and involve dozens of dancers representing fi gures from the animal world, male and female powers, and the afterworld.
Dogon Art and Architecture
12. Dogon art is primarily sculpture but these are commonly hidden from the public eye within the houses of families, or sanctuaries. Dogon art is primarily wood sculpture, although some pieces are made out of stone or forged from metal. The purpose of Dogon art is to preserve the peoples tradition and not for an individual claim to a piece. Both carvers and especially blacksmiths are important fi gures in their culture and many myths surround their work and are retold by the Dogon.
13. Dogon art revolves around religious values, ideals, and freedoms. Themes found throughout Dogon sculpture consist of fi gures with raised arms, superimposed bearded fi gures, horsemen, stools with caryatids10, women with children, donkeys, dogs, quadruped-shaped troughs or benches, fi gures bending from the waist, mirror-images, and standing fi gures.
10. Draped female fi gures used instead of columns.
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7. Based on your understanding of the text complete the following table about the Dogon tribe
Location
Weather
Buildings
Family groups
Faith
Art
___________________
___________________
___________________ ___________________ ___________________
___________________ ___________________ ___________________
___________________
___________________
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8. Vocabulary
Match the culture words in column A to its meaning in column B
A
civilization
clan
cultural region
culture hearth
dialect
diff usion
ethnic group
social norms that provide the moral standards of a group or society and that are strictly enforced.
- a group of people who share a language, history, or place of origin; a large group of people who have more in common with each other than they do with other peoples.
an urbanized society with a large very complex social organization.
an area of land where most people have enough in common to be considered a group.
regarding ones own culture as being superior to others and judging other cultures from the perspective of your own culture.
members who are believed to have descended from a common ancestor.
a rule or standard that defi nes what people should or should not do, think, or feel in any given social situation.
B
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A
ethnocentrism
folkways
mores
norm
socialization
a local variation of a language.
the process by which the accepted values, rules and ways of operating a society are passed on to the young.
a place in which important ideas begin and thereafter spread to surrounding cultures; heartland; source area.
traditional social customs
the process of accepting, borrowing, and exchanging traits from one society to another; the spatial spreading or dissemination of a culture element.
B
9. Grammar
Relative Clause
Study the sentences given below
1. Dogons who live in the harshest environments of the world are very hardworking people.
2. They live in one of the harshest environments on Earth, the hot arid belt where mean yearly temperatures are the highest, and mean annual rainfall is the lowest in the world.
3. The doors of the Dogon houses on which we can see beautiful designs are now the chief sources of tourist attraction.
A relative clause is a subordinate clause that begins with a question word (e.g. who, which, where) or the word that. You can use it to modify a noun or pronoun (i.e. to identify or give more information about it).
31
There are two types of relative clauses
1. Defi ning (or restrictive) - containing information essential to the main idea (e.g., the information identifi es or defi nes what is being described). It restricts or limits the reference of a noun. We do not separate it from the rest of the sentence by commas
For Example: The children who work hard will do well
Films that involve fi ghting and shooting have a negative eff ect on young people.
2. Nondefi ning (or non-restrictive) adds information, an explanation or a description which is not essential to the main idea.
We use a non-defi ning (or non-restrictive) relative clause to supply additional information about the noun, whose identity or reference is already established.
For Example: Mother Teresa, who worked for the poor and destitute, was awarded the Nobel Prize
There is a fax machine on the reception desk, where you can send and receive messages
Exercise 1: In the following sentences the relative pronouns are missing. Edit the sentences, putting in suitable relative pronouns and any missing commas. (Hint defi ning no commas; non-defi ning commas)
1. The girl hair is long and curly is the new student in my class.
2. This is the book has become a bestseller in recent years.
3. Mosquitoes are small two - winged insects can spread fatal diseases like malaria.
4. My friend Anita went to the same school as me is acting in a television serial.
5. He gave me the letter was in a blue envelope.
6. There were a lot of people at the party, many of whom I had known for years.
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Exercise 2: Join the sentences using a relative pronoun. The second part is the relative sentence.
1. The book is an autobiography. It is written by a criminal.
2. I will never forget the day. I represented my school in the district level swimming championship.
3. I met an old classmate last week. He has become a pilot.
4. The Eiff el Tower is a famous French landmark. The Eiff el Tower was built by Gustave Eiff el.
5. Saif Khan is a famous actor. Saif Khans wife is also an actress.
6. World War II started in 1939. The Spanish Civil War ended in 1939.
10.1 Writing
Study the pictures of a Dogon - man and woman. Describe them using suitable adjectives in about 100 - 120 words. Remember : To describe a person follow this sequence:
Height tall, tallish, short, shortish, medium height Build frail, stocky, slim, thin, plump, fat, skinny well-built Age young, elderly, middle-aged, teenager, in 20s, 30s, 40s Face round, oval, square, with scares, wrinkles, freckles, sun-tanned, pale Eyes big round blue eyes, large, small, bright, narrow Hair bald, straight, curly, spiky, wavy Clothes casual, scruff y, shabby, smart, tidy, messy Character shy, stubborn, reliable, clumsy, intelligent careful, hard-working, worried, cheerful, broadminded, active, curious,
secretive aggressive, tough, careless, practical, sensible, independent, strong-minded, stupid dull, boring, imaginative, ambitious, crafty, sensitive, gentle, nave generous, loyal, self-controlled, moody, trusting, modest, tolerant, friendly energetic, confi dent, selfi sh
33
10. 2 Compare the Naciremas to the Dogons
a. What according to you are the similarities in the Naciremas and the Dogons?
b. If you were to plan a campaign to preserve tribal culture, how would you plan?
c. Design a brochure advocating Tribal Tourism to either of the two tribes discussed.
11. Speaking
Imagine that you are living in the situation the Dogon were living in when the Europeans came. You (the Dogon) have to fl ee from the Kingdom of Yatenga because you are being chased by men on horses. Make a list of the things you would take with you.
Discuss how you in a groups of the four best chances for them to survive.
34
Section D
Everyone has a Culture - Everyone is Unique
Warm up1.1 Support these statements. Share your ideas
No one is exactly like me. I have many things in common with the members of my family and
community.
Every person in the world needs some of the same things I need.
1.2 People in various groups often look at people in other groups as "diff erent."
Describe some of these diff erences Why may people in one group behave diff erently from people in another?
1.3 Students complete the worksheet in order to help them identify aspects of their own cultures. Explain that each student should answer each question with one sentence or phrase. Then students should rank each item as to how important they feel it is to their culture.
Directions: Rate each these statements from 1-10 (1 is most important) according to what value this topic has in your culture.
Rating
_____ What language(s) do you speak?
_____ What is your religion?
_____ What music do you listen to?
_____ What dances do you know?
_____ What foods do you eat at home?
_____ What do you wear on special occasions?
35
_____ What holidays and ceremonies are important?
_____ What is most important to you?
_____ What things do you believe are right and wrong?
_____ How important is your extended family?
Share your answers in small groups. Compare various aspects of their individual cultures.
1.4. Countries, Food, and Culture
(a) Think about your favorite family events. What words/ phrases/ festivals do you associate with these events? Share your ideas
(b) For many cultures, food is one of the most common things associated with family gatherings. One way to learn about the history and culture of diff erent people is to look at the foods that they eat.
The Jambalaya one family eats at its annual summer picnic has a very diff erent history and cultural background, for instance, than the Lutefi sk that a Norwegian family may serve on Christmas Eve. The Hoppin' John (a rice and bean dish) a southern United States family eats on New Year's Day is very diff erent from the Guthuk (barley crumb food with fi lling) that a Tibetan family eats for its New Year's celebration.
1.5 Food is part of a country's culture. Each country is known for certain foodsFill in the columns as demonstrated in the example.
36
Country Native food How is it eaten?
Example: China Noodles Chopsticks
What is your favorite food? _________________________________________________ Where did it originate? _________________________________________________ What type of restaurant might serve this food? _________________________________________________
1.6. Read the following extract about the Japanese Tea Ceremony
The Japanese tea ceremony is called Chanoyu, Sado or simply Ocha in Japanese. It is a choreographic ritual of preparing and serving Japanese green tea, called Matcha, together with traditional Japanese sweets to balance with the bitter taste of the tea. Preparing tea in this
ceremony means pouring all one's attention into the predefi ned movements. The whole process is not about drinking tea, but is about aesthetics, preparing a bowl of tea from one's heart. The host of the ceremony always considers the guests with every movement and gesture. Even the placement of the tea utensils is considered from the guests view point (angle), especially the main guests called the Shokyaku.
37
Do you fi nd it fascinating? Do you know of any such custom? Do you have a custom related to food in your culture?
1.7 Activity
Follow these steps.
Step 1: Choose your favorite family recipe, and research it Step 2: Create a fl yer for the class cookbook (Also mention the history,
and how this dish is served)
Step 3: Include information about the cultural traditions associated with the recipe
Step 4: Illustrate your fl yer. Step 5: Has your recipe/serving undergone changes in the last 20 years?
The All-American Slurp Lensey Namioka
2. Warm up
What does all - American mean to you? When do you slurp? List at least three rules of etiquette (manners) your family practices at
home and in public?
List three rules of proper school etiquette. Describe a time you did not use or know proper etiquette (manners).
It can be at school, a restaurant, your friends or relatives
Have you ever been invited and have felt completely out of place? Have you ever been invited for a meal and you didnt like the food they
served? How did you handle it?
Refl ect about a time you were embarrassed by any one of your family. How do you defi ne an American?
38
2.1. Read this short story about the Lin family who has recently moved to America. The family's ignorance of American eating habits is a source of embarrassment for one of the daughters. But she learns that a good host forgives such misunderstandings.
1. The fi rst time our family was invited out to dinner in America, we disgraced ourselves while eating celery. We had emigrated to this country from China, and during our early days here we had a hard time with American table manners.
2. In China we never ate celery raw, or any other kind of vegetable raw. We always had to disinfect the vegetables in boiling water fi rst. When we were presented with our fi rst relish tray, the raw celery caught us unprepared.
3. We had been invited to dinner by our neighbours, the Gleasons. After arriving at the house, we shook hands with our hosts and packed ourselves into a sofa. As our family of four sat stiffl y in a row, my younger brother and I stole glances at our parents for a clue as to what to do next.
4. Mrs. Gleason off ered the relish11 tray to Mother. The tray looked pretty, with its tiny red radishes, curly sticks of carrots, and long, slender stalks of pale green celery. Do try some of the celery, Mrs. Lin, she said. Its from a local farmer, and its sweet.
5. Mother picked up one of the green stalks, and Father followed suit. Then I picked up a stalk, and my brother did too. So there we sat, each with a stalk of celery in our right hand.
Mrs. Gleason kept smiling. Would you like to try some of the dip, Mrs. Lin? Its my own recipe: sour cream and onion fl akes, with a dash of Tabasco sauce.
6. Most Chinese dont care for dairy products, and in those days I wasnt even ready to drink fresh milk. Sour cream sounded perfectly revolting. Our family shook our heads in unison12.
Mrs. Gleason went off with the relish11 tray to the other guests, and we carefully watched to see what they did. Everyone seemed to eat the raw vegetables quite happily.
39
Mother took a bite of her celery. Crunch. Its not bad! she whispered.
Father took a bite of his celery. Crunch. Yes, it is good, he said, looking surprised.
7. I took a bite, and then my brother. Crunch, crunch. It was more than good; it was delicious. Raw celery has a slight sparkle, a zingy taste that you dont get in cooked celery. When Mrs. Gleason came around with the relish tray, we each took another stalk of celery, except my brother. He took two.
8. There was only one problem: long strings ran through the length of the stalk, and they got caught in my teeth. When I help my mother in the kitchen, I always pull the strings out before slicing celery.
I pulled the strings out of my stalk. Z-z-zip, z-z-zip. My brother followed suit. Z-z-zip, z-z-zip. To my left, my parents were taking care of their own stalks. Z-z-zip, z-z-zip, z-z-zip.
9. Suddenly I realized that there was dead silence except for our zipping. Looking up, I saw that the eyes of everyone in the room were on our family. Mr. and Mrs. Gleason, their daughter Meg, who was my friend, and their neighbours the Badels - they were all staring at us as we busily pulled the strings off our celery.
10. That wasnt the end of it. Mrs. Gleason announced that dinner was served and invited us to the dining table. It was lavishly covered with platters of food, but we couldnt see any chairs around the table. So we helpfully carried over some dining chairs and sat down. All the other guests just stood there. Mrs. Gleason bent down and whispered to us, This is a buff et dinner. You help yourselves to some food and eat it in the living room.
11. Our family beat a retreat back to the sofa as if chased by enemy soldiers. For the rest of the evening, too mortifi ed to go back to the dining table, I nursed a bit of potato salad on my plate.
11. enjoy12. agreement
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12. Next day Meg and I got on the school bus together. I wasnt sure how she would feel about me after the spectacle our family made at the party. But she was just the same as usual, and the only reference she made to the party was, Hope you and your folks got enough to eat last night. You certainly didnt take very much. Mom never tries to fi gure out how much food to prepare. She just puts everything on the table and hopes for the best.
I began to relax. The Gleasons dinner party wasnt so diff erent from a Chinese meal after all. My mother also puts everything on the table and hopes for the best.
Meg was the fi rst friend I had made after we came to America. I eventually got acquainted with a few other kids in school, but Meg was still the only real friend I had.
13. My brother didnt have any problems making friends. He spent all his time with some boys who were teaching him baseball, and in no time he could speak English much faster than I could - not better, but faster.
14. I worried more about making mistakes, and I spoke carefully, making sure I could say everything right before opening my mouth. At least I had a better accent than my parents, who never really got rid of their Chinese accent, even years later. My parents had both studied English in school before coming to America, but what they had studied was mostly written English, not spoken.
15. Fathers approach to English was a scientifi c one. Since Chinese verbs have no tense, he was fascinated by the way English verbs changed form according to whether they were in the present, past imperfect, perfect, pluperfect, future, or future perfect tense. He was always making diagrams of verbs and their infl ections13, and he looked for opportunities to show off his mastery of the pluperfect and future perfect tenses, his two favorites. I shall have fi nished my project by Monday, he would say smugly.
11. modulati ons
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16. Mothers approach was to memorize lists of polite phrases that would cover all possible social situations. She was constantly muttering things like Im fi ne, thank you. And you? Once she accidentally stepped on someones foot and hurriedly blurted, Oh thats quite all right! Embarrassed by her slip, she resolved to do better next time. So when someone stepped on her foot, she cried, Youre welcome!
17. In our own diff erent ways, we made progress in learning English. But I had another worry, and that was my appearance. My brother didnt have to worry, since Mother bought him blue jeans for school, and he dressed like all the other boys. But she insisted that girls had to wear skirts. By the time she saw that Meg and the other girls were wearing jeans, it was too late. My school clothes were bought already, and we didnt have money left to buy new outfi ts for me. We had too many other things to buy fi rst, like furniture, pots, and pans.
18. The fi rst time I visited Megs house, she took me upstairs to her room, and I wound up trying on her clothes. We were pretty much the same size, since Meg was shorter and thinner than average. Maybe thats how we became friends in the fi rst place. Wearing Megs jeans and T-shirt, I looked at myself in the mirror. I could almost pass for an American - from the back, anyway. At least the kids in school wouldnt stop and stare at me in the hallways, which was what they did when they saw me in my white blouse and navy blue skirt that went a couple of inches below the knees.
19. When Meg came to my house, I invited her to try on my Chinese dresses, the ones with a high collar and slits up the sides. Megs eyes were bright as she looked at herself in the mirror. She struck several sultry poses, and we nearly fell over laughing.
4214. Look through
20. The dinner party at the Gleasons didnt stop my growing friendship with Meg. Things were getting better for me in other ways too. Mother fi nally bought me some jeans at the end of the month, when father got his paycheck. She wasnt in any hurry about buying them at fi rst, until I worked on her. This is what I did. Since we didnt have a car in those days, I often ran down to the neighborhood store to pick up things for her. The groceries cost less at a big supermarket, but the closest one was many blocks away. One day, when she ran out of fl our, I off ered to borrow a bike from our neighbours son and buy a ten - pound bag of fl our at the big supermarket. I mounted the boys bike and waved to my Mother. Ill be back in fi ve minutes!
Before I started pedaling, I heard her voice behind me. You cant go out in public like that! People can see all the way up your thighs!
21. Im sorry, I said innocently. I thought you were in a hurry to get the fl our. For dinner we were going to have pot-stickers (fried Chinese dumplings), and we needed a lot of fl our.
Couldnt you borrow a girls bicycle? complained Mother. That way your skirt wont be pushed up.
There arent too many of those around, I said. Almost all the girls wear jeans while riding a bike, so they dont see any point in buying a girls bike.
22. We didnt eat pot-stickers that evening, and Mother was thoughtful. Next day we took the bus downtown and she bought me a pair of jeans. In the same week, my brother made the baseball team of his junior high school, Father started taking driving lessons, and Mother discovered rummage14 sales. We soon got all the furniture we needed, plus a dartboard and a 1,000 - piece jigsaw puzzle (fourteen hours later, we discovered that it was a 999-piece jigsaw puzzle). There was hope that the Lins might become a normal American family after all.
Then came our dinner at the Lakeview restaurant.
Fun facts: Both chow-mein and fortune cookies were invented in America. Restaurants in China that serve fortune cookies advertise them as genuine American fortune cookies.
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23. The Lakeview was an expensive restaurant, one of those places where a headwaiter dressed in tails conducted you to your seat, and the only light came from candles and fl aming desserts. In one corner of the room a lady harpist played tinkling melodies.
24. Father wanted to celebrate, because he had just been promoted. He worked for an electronics company, and after his English started improving, his superiors decided to appoint him to a position more suited to his training. The promotion not only brought a higher salary but was also a tremendous boost to his pride.
25. Up to then we had eaten only in Chinese restaurants. Although my brother and I were becoming fond of hamburgers, my parents didnt care much for western food, other than chow mein.
But this was a special occasion, and father asked his coworkers to recommend a really elegant restaurant. So there we were at the Lakeview, stumbling after the headwaiter in the murky dining room.
At our table we were handed our menus, and they were so big that to read mine I almost had to stand up again. But why bother? It was mostly in French, anyway.
26. Father, being an engineer, was always systematic. He took out a pocket French dictionary. They told me that most of the items would be in French, so I came prepared. He even had a pocket fl ashlight, the size of a marking pen. While mother held the fl ashlight over the menu, he looked up the items that were in French.
Pat en croute, he muttered. Lets see pat is paste croute is crust hmm a paste in crust.
The waiter stood looking patient. I squirmed and died at least fi fty times.
At long last Father gave up. Why dont we just order four complete dinners at random? he suggested.
Isnt that risky? asked Mother. The French eat some rather peculiar things, Ive heard.
27. A Chinese can eat anything a Frenchman can eat, Father declared.
The soup arrived in a plate. How do you get soup up from a plate? I glanced at the other diners, but the ones at the nearby tables were not on their soup course, while the more distant ones were invisible in the darkness.
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28. Fortunately my parents had studied books on western etiquette before they came to America. Tilt your plate, whispered my mother. Its easier to spoon the soup up that way.
29. She was right. Tilting the plate did the trick. But the etiquette book didnt say anything about what you did after the soup reached your lips. As any respectable Chinese knows, the correct way to eat your soup is to slurp. This helps to cool the liquid and prevent you from burning your lips. It also shows your appreciation.
We showed our appreciation. Shloop, went my father. Shloop, went my mother. Shloop, shloop, went my brother, who was the hungriest.
30. The lady harpist stopped playing to take a rest. And in the silence, our familys consumption of soup suddenly seemed unnaturally loud. You know how it sounds on a rocky beach when the tide goes out and the water drains from all those little pools? They go shloop, shloop, shloop. That was the Lin family, eating soup.
31. At the next table a waiter was pouring wine. When a large shloop reached him, he froze. The bottle continued to pour, and red wine fl ooded the tabletop and into the lap of a customer. Even the customer didnt notice anything at fi rst, being also hypnotized by the shloop, shloop, shloop.
It was too much. I need to go to the toilet, I mumbled, jumping to my feet. A waiter, sensing my urgency, quickly directed me to the ladies room.
32. I splashed cold water on my burning face, and as I dried myself with a paper towel, I stared into the mirror. In this perfumed ladies room, with its pink and silver wallpaper and marbled sinks, I looked completely out of place. What was I doing here? What was our family doing in the Lakeview restaurant? In America?
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33. The door to the ladies room opened. A woman came in and glanced curiously at me. I retreated into one of the toilet cubicles and latched the door.
Time passed - maybe half an hour, maybe an hour. Then I heard the door open again, and my mothers voice. Are you in there? Youre not sick, are you?
There was real concern in her voice. A girl cant leave her family just because they slurp their soup. Besides, the toilet cubicle had a few drawbacks as a permanent residence. Im all right, I said, undoing the latch.
34. Mother didnt tell me how the rest of the dinner went, and I didnt want to know. In the weeks following, I managed to push the whole thing into the back of my mind, where it jumped out at me only a few times a day. Even now, I turn hot all over when I think of the Lakeview restaurant.
35. But by the time we had been in this country for three months, our family was defi nitely making progress toward becoming Americanized. I remember my parents fi rst PTA meeting. Father wore a neat suit and tie, and Mother put on her fi rst pair of high heels. She stumbled only once. They met my homeroom teacher and beamed as she told them that I would make honor roll soon at the rate I was going. Of course Chinese etiquette forced Father to say that I was a very stupid girl and Mother to protest that the teacher was showing favoritism toward me. But I could tell they were both very proud.
36. The day came when my parents announced that they wanted to give a dinner party. We had invited Chinese friends to eat with us before, but this dinner was going to be diff erent. In addition to a Chinese-American family, we were going to invite the Gleasons.
Gee, I can hardly wait to have dinner at your house, Meg said to me. I just love Chinese food.
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That was a relief. Mother was a good cook, but I wasnt sure if people who ate sour cream would also eat chicken gizzards stewed in soy sauce.
37. Mother decided not to take a chance with the chicken gizzards. Since we had western guests, she set the table with large dinner plates, which we never used in Chinese meals. In fact we didnt use individual plates at all, but picked up food from the platters in the middle of the table and brought it directly to our rice bowls. Following the practice of Chinese-American restaurants, Mother also placed large serving spoons on the platters.
38. The dinner started well. Mrs. Gleason exclaimed at the beautifully arranged dishes of food: the colorful candied fruit in the sweet-and-sour pork dish, the noodle - thin shreds of chicken meat stir - fried with tiny peas, and the glistening pink prawns in a ginger sauce.
At fi rst I was too busy enjoying my food to notice how the guests were doing. But soon I remembered my duties. Sometimes guests were too polite to help themselves and you had to serve them with more food.
39. I glanced at Meg, to see if she needed more food, and my eyes nearly popped out at the sight of her plate. It was piled with food: the sweet-and-sour meat pushed right against the chicken shreds, and the chicken sauce ran into the prawns. She had been taking food from a second dish before she fi nished eating her helping from the fi rst!
40. Horrifi ed, I turned to look at Mrs. Gleason. She was dumping rice out of her bowl and putting it on her dinner plate. Then she ladled prawns and gravy on top of the rice and mixed everything together, the way you mix sand, gravel, and cement to make concrete.
41. I couldnt bear to look any longer, and I turned to Mr. Gleason. He was chasing a pea around his plate. Several times he got it to the edge, but when he tried to pick it up with his chopsticks, it rolled back to the center of the plate again. Finally, he put down his chopsticks and picked up the pea with his fi ngers. He really did! A grown man!
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42. All of us, our family and the Chinese guests, stopped eating to watch the activities of the Gleasons. I wanted to giggle. Then I caught my mothers eyes on me. She frowned and shook her head slightly, and I understood the message: the Gleasons were not used to Chinese ways, and they were just coping the best they could. For some reason I thought of celery strings.
43. When the main courses were fi nished, mother brought out a platter of fruit. I hope you werent expecting a sweet dessert, she said. Since the Chinese dont eat dessert, I didnt think to prepare any.
Oh, I couldnt possibly eat dessert! cried Mrs. Gleason. Im simply stuff ed!
44. Meg had diff erent ideas. When the table was cleared, she announced that she and I were going for a walk. I dont know about you, but I feel like dessert, she told me, when we were outside. Come on, theres a Dairy Queen down the street. I could use a big chocolate milkshake!
Although I didnt really want anything more to eat, I insisted on paying for the milkshakes. After all, I was still hostess.
45. Meg got her large chocolate milkshake and I had a small one. Even so, she was fi nishing hers while I was only half done. Toward the end she pulled hard on her straws and went shloop, shloop.
Do you always slurp when you eat a milkshake? I asked before I could stop myself.
Meg grinned. Sure. All Americans slurp.
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7. Based on your reading, answer the following.
1. What was the fi rst cultural diff erence that the narrator noticed? How would you describe the feelings of the hosts and the guests? Write a paragraph describing Mrs. Gleasonss feelings.
2. The sour cream sounded perfectly revolting. Why?
3. Identify what is common, according to the author, between her mother and Megs mother.
4. How does the narrator convince her mother to buy jeans?
5. How do the Lins embarrass themselves at a restaurant?
6. Summarize what happens at the Lins dinner party.
7. Have you ever tried to learn a new language? Was it diffi cult?
8. What did the Gleasons do at dinner that would be considered rude in Chinese culture?
9. What is the theme of the story?
10. Give a presentation on some unique aspect of your culturea holiday, a type of food, clothing, etc.
11. Reread your pre-reading defi nition of an American. Make any changes that you now feel are necessary.
12. Imagine a new student has just arrived in your class from a foreign country. Create a Coping with Cultural Pressure Guide for him/her, including the essential information needed to be successful at your school/ city.
13. Create a comic strip tells the story of The All-American Slurp with a diff erent ending.
14. To whom do you relate the most, or with whom do you most identify?
15. To what extent can you relate to Lenseys feelings of embarrassment about not fi tting in?
8. Critical Thinking: Based on your reading, answer the following. Share your ideas with the class.
1. Describe the ways in which each family member learns English. (Analyze)
2. What do their various ways of learning English reveal about each? (Infer)
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3. How are the Gleasons actions at the Lins dinner party similar to the Lins actions at the Gleasons party? (Connect)
4. Why does Megs remark about slurping probably seem funny and reassuring to the narrator? (Draw Conclusions)
5. Do you think the narrator has good sense of humor? Explain. (Evaluate)
6. What can you learn about Chinese foods and eating habits from the story? (Social Studies Link)
7. Explain how The All-American Slurp shows this theme: Diff erent cultures have diff erent customs, but all people have similar feelings and needs.
8. What advice would you give the narrator about adjusting to life in the United States? Why?
9. There are a lot of onomatopoeic words used in the story. For example slurp, zip, crunch, etc. Why do you think has the narrator used these words?
10. Growing up as a female can be especially diffi cult when you are Chinese American and desperately want to be a part of a "white" culture that is not your own. Comment.
11. Where do prejudices come from? Create a pamphlet/PowerPoint presentation that addresses and refutes these prejudices and promotes harmony and tolerance. Share with the class.
12. Inferring the theme
a. What can you infer from the reaction of the other guests to the Lins? Explain. Do you feel Mrs. Gleason should have told the Lins that you dont sit at a buff et table or pull up chairs? If yes, how?
b. I worried more about making mistakes, and I spoke carefully, making sure I could say everything right before opening my mouth. How does this imply theme?
c. What does the remark suggest about Fathers attitudes about fi tting in with the ways of another country? Explain.
d. What are the diff erences and similarities between American and Chinese culture?
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13 Writing
Immigrants adapt to life in a new country through changes in language, dress, family roles, profession, education, etc. As with most change, something is gained and something is lost.
Choose an example of a family or community of immigrants who have assimilated to life in your country. What have they gained? What have they lost? Make a two-column chart showing these gains and losses. You may pull the information from personal experience, reading or viewing, or other research.
Do you think that people who insist upon preserving their ways, habits, customs, dress, language and rituals even when they are living in a diff erent country and a diff erent culture are foolish? Or do you think it is important not to adopt and accept the habits, ways and customs of other people in order to save ones own traditions and culture?
a. Write a debate speech in about 200 words (for/against) on Do in Rome as the Romans do expressing your views on the subject.
b. As the narrator, write a letter to your friend about diffi culties in adapting to the new culture. Also write how your brother, father, and mother adjusted to American life, giving tips that may help immigrants.
Speaking
14. a. Work in groups of four.
Here are some examples of cultural diff erences across the world
Most people consider burping very rude but people in China think its good manners to burp after a meal. They feel burping is a way to show you are grateful for your food and that you enjoyed it.
Indonesia never point anything with your foot Canada and the US dont arrive early if you are invited to someones
home
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Muslim countries dont eat food with your left hand Thailand never touch anything except a child on the head and etc.
1. Does your culture follow any of these customs?
2. What other customs of other countries do you know? What is the advantage of learning diff erent cultures?
b. Imagine that a group of tourists from Spain is visiting your country, India. They will also come to your school and interact with your class. Your class has been given the important task of talking to them and giving them advice on social behaviour and manners.
c. In small groups, discuss what is considered rude, impolite and a sign of bad manners in your culture and prepare a list of dos and donts for the tourists so that their stay in India can be pleasant. Think of the various possible situations in which the tourists could fi nd themselves and how they should behave in those situations.
Then each group shares the list with the rest of the class and make a fi nal consolidated list of what is considered rude or impolite in your culture.
