...French Stereotypes Stereotyping is basically a part of human nature. When an individual interacts with other people he has the tendency to make generalizations out of their characteristics and to consider these characteristics as applicable to all people of the same class. Stereotyping is defined as the process where an individual create in his mind an image of another person (Macrae, Stangor & Hewstone 3). It is also defined as “a fixed, commonly held notion or image of a person or group, based on an oversimplification of some observed or imagined trait of behavior or appearance” (Media Awareness Network). Even though we are unique and distinct from each other, it is part of human nature to make generalizations of people belonging to a specific race and nationality. These generalizations are being reinforced in movies, televisions, novels and other forms of mass media. This essay seeks to highlight the different French stereotypes being portrayed in mass media and to establish that these stereotypes are not necessarily accurate representations of the French people. Stereotyping has a positive and negative effect not only to the person being referred to but also to the community in general. When an individual creates a mental image of somebody and put that in his mind, he also acts in accordance with this stereotype. The stereotyped images serve as a person’s paradigm through which he sees the world. As a result, he behaves and acts in accordance with this stereotype...
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...trees and reducing the amount of carbon in the air digital newspapers and magazines also became a big success for mass media and global news. Today events that take place half way around the world are in local newspapers or on broadcasting stations within minutes of their occurrence. The 20th century gift to mass media is speed and advertisement. Businesses can introduce themselves and their services to a wider scale of consumers instead of only their local based customers. There were also a number of visual improvements to mass media during the 20th century. Movies were made in 3D, green screens were used to insert false backgrounds, and clarity was improved by creating high definition lenses. | How did each development influence American culture? | With all the...
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...psychology of desperation and deep meanings of struggle to many of Arthur Miller’s poems. “The Crucible” deals with extraordinary tragedy in lives of normal people due to the witch-hunts. “All My Sons” probes with the idea of dissatisfaction and unrest within the greater American population, influenced from the desperation and paternal responsibility put on people. Lastly, “Death of a Salesman” a work based on the American dream and national values, was influenced greatly by his hatred relationship with his uncle. The historical and personal events that occurred during Arthur Miller’s early life greatly influenced his writings of “The Crucible”, “Death of a Salesman”, and “All My Sons”. “The Crucible” was historically influenced by those trying to cleanse American culture of anyone who persisted in seeing the Soviet Union as a source of good in the world. This disgusted Miller so much that he based “The Crucible” on the anti-communist hysteria that pervaded the 1950s America, and the witch-hunts of the late 17th century He hated the idea of tragedy in ordinary lives and had much concern for the physical wellbeing of the working class. The outburst of these ideas caused him to be called before the House Committee on Un-American Activities, and was convicted of contempt of Congress for not cooperating (this conviction however was later appealed). The unraveling of his troubled and turbulent marriage with Marilyn Monroe was the main personal event that influenced Miller’s writing of this...
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...American Culture of Consumerism Present day American culture is heavily influenced by consumerism. American’s are focused on material possessions, instead of working for their status in society they would rather project a desired status with the use of material possessions. The rest of the world views Americans as a more materialistic society than majority of the other countries. Americans love to eat, work, party, and spend money all in excess. This means that they value and collect more material objects than most people would ever dream of owning. The American people are so focused on maintaining their material possessions to show off their status, that they focus less on building relationships and developing a sense of self and a sense of appreciation. The marketing world only takes this materialism higher, it focuses on this insatiable “hunger” for the newest trends and thus advertises their products to appeal to a wide variety of consumers. Tom Horton, a writer for The Baltimore Sun, helps put it in perspective in his article The Toll of American Materialism stating “For the record, Americans are five percent of Earth's population, consuming about thirty percent of the Earth's nonrenewable natural resources. If global trade actually enabled the other ninety five percent of the world to live the American dream, we'd need another five or so Earths to support it.” For Americans it is more important to obtain, maintain, and protect their material objects than it is to focus...
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...soon realizes that it’s not all she imagined it to be. Hungry Hearts seems to suggest that America can bring success and joy to everyone, including immigrants, but it will come at a cost of integrating into a new world and nation different from their own. Instead of making the easy transition into this new society, the characters come to the realization that there will be some give and take with adjusting to this new world. She implies that cultural traditions and heritages may have to be forfeited or lessened in this new world to make room for what is socially acceptable in America. This is only if one wants to be successful and take full advantage of the American dream and all this country has to offer. For immigrants who seem to be able to merge the various aspects of each culture successfully, they learn that American society doesn’t really view them equally, but instead looks upon them as a lower class citizen compared to naturalized citizens. In “Wings”, Shenah Pessah, the protagonist is on adolescent immigrant who looks forward to making something of herself, brimming with joy and aspiration to improve her life. In the new world her life seemingly becomes better when she meets a young professor, John Barnes, who represents everything she wanted to be in America. Unknown to her are his true motives of his interests in her. When she says she’s from Russia, the first thing he thinks of is: “So he was in their midst, the people he came to study. The girl with her hungry eyes...
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...Time is money – understanding US business culture The US, the world’s third largest country both in size and population, is a multicultural mosaic of 300 million people of mixed race and heritage. Yet, despite this ethnic and cultural diversity the US still exhibits a distinct business culture. If you are planning business ventures in the US, a basic understanding of this business culture is essential to your success. Here are some insights that help you avoid common mistakes. Basic concepts An important aspect of US culture is the American Dream: the widespread belief that every individual can succeed and prosper financially by working hard. This idea contributes to a strong work ethic. In addition to a strong work ethic American business culture is also characterized by a heavy emphasis on individual initiative and achievement. Personal competence, professionalism and accountability for individual performance are highly valued Another striking character trait of US business culture is its well-known informality. Thus, titles are seldom used in business environments and most US business partners will offer to use first names almost immediately. Although this casual style can be misleading for people from other cultures. Communication style In their business communication Americans use a very direct style. The primary purpose of communication is to exchange information, facts, and opinions. Typical phrases are “let’s get to the point” and “what’s the bottom line”. If silent...
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...whether it is a place of upbringing, ethnicity, religion or family. We all have our own unique image that one sends out to the world. When immigrants come to the land of promise, prospect, and new beginnings they all have one thing in mind, to identify themselves with the American culture. Although the struggle to make it was not easy for immigrants they still found a way to survive. A huge factor that plays in finding ones identity is culture. In America, we have a set of ideals and attitudes that we call American. Individuals come here to work, grow businesses, and to appreciate the freedom they did not have in their countries. Our identity is not really about food, religious views, or cultural traditions. The US...
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...Studentereksamen The texts in section A focus on the American Dream. Write a paper (700-1000 words) in which your answer the following questions. Answer the questions separately. Give an outline of how the American Dream is interpreted in texts 2, 3 and 4. Text 2: Arnold Schwarzenegger's view on the American Dream is; that it is something you have to make yourself worthy for. This is characterized by three things. To truly succeed as an American citizen you have to learn the English language. This is a necessity to blend in to the American culture. Another factor that weighs in high according to Schwarzenegger about the American Dream is the right to vote. In Austria, you do not have the right to vote, so he exaggerates the fact that the right to vote should not be taken for granted. He also says that 'democracy is not a spectator’s sport', so you should participate as much as possible. Thirdly, he emphasizes that giving back to your country should be important. According to Schwarzenegger you should give back as much and as possible. He ends the text paying tribute to all the great immigrants who have performed service for The United States. Text 3: The third text epitomizes the opinion that the American Dream is money-oriented. Since the economy was at a downfall in 2008, the American Dream had been, metaphorically speaking, been killed or at least wounded. Beyond that, the text is angled in a much more negative way, but maybe a more realistic way. The writer, Anya...
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...accommodation and assimilation to mainstream American culture You might want to reflect on how the historical times in which they came of age influenced their experiences Consider differences and/or similarities in their attitudes towards --parents --traditional Chinese culture --Education --American values Matthew Munet Pardee and Jade; Similar Yet Different Family and class backgrounds have a major influence on the way humans create our perceptions and beliefs. I for one come from a Hispanic middle class family. My beliefs may have some similarities to other middle class Hispanics but may be completely opposite compared to a female who comes from a wealthy Hispanic family. This can be seen if we compare Pardee Lowe and Jade Snow Wong. These two prominent Asian American authors depict The Chinese authors Pardee Lowe and Jade Snow Wong display how assimilation differ with social class, gender, and ethnic background through their stories Nisei Daughter and Father and Glorious Descendent. There experiences defy the many anti-Asian prejudice that was established upon the Chinese people during that time. Coming from an Americanized home and wealthy family Pardee Lowe epitomized the ideal situation of growing up as a Chinese child. His father being a wealthy merchant differentiated from a typical Chinese kid growing up in American society. In addition, having an Americanized dad relieved Pardee of the many contrasting cultures that other Chinese kids such as Jade...
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...The American Dream Has Been Reborn Immigrants flee from their home countries for what? A piece of a dream that seems too good to be true. No more poverty, no more suffering, no more days gone hungry. A certain hope and dream that has driven many to become obsessed with power and success. But most don’t know, as beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so is happiness and prosperity. A happy family isn’t determined by how many cars they drive or the size of their wallets, rather the size of their heart. The American dream is the hope to achieve the pursuit of happiness, one thing this country may never lose. The true feeling of doing what you love is what it feels like to have happiness. Whether its providing for your family so your offspring has a bright future or having a career in which you are satisfied. Satisfaction. Thats the problem… Todays society has become so consumed with advancing, making more money, and gaining influence they don’t take the time to look up and see the beauty around them. When individuals place promotions ahead of family they lose sight of what the ‘Dream’ is. Take Oscar Carlos Acosta as example, he was a stud baseball pitcher who let his obsession get the better of him, leading to the loss of his family and pitching career. He let his obsession with making it to the majors destroy him. But all was not lost. The American Dream is a hope of a second chance, a new start. And in the end Acosta reconciled with his wife and children and went...
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...you’re considered “non- american” or “not a part of an american culture”. This can make you feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable especially when you try to learn to grow accustomed to the american way of life. You try to feel normal like everybody else, but it’s hard to when you’re not treated fairly because all in all, we are all the same. Brent Staples in “Black Men And Public Space” and Firoozeh Dumas “The F Word” both discuss the transitioning of where they came from until they moved to a different place. In “Black Men And Public Space” that first appeared in 1986 in Ms. magazine, Staples explains that even walking down the street, he was given certain looks; worried looks. He explains that he came across a young woman who kept her distance. He states “To her, the youngish black man-a broad six feet two inches with a beard and billowing hair, both hands shoved into the pockets of a bulky military jacket- seemed menacingly close”(Staples 346). The young woman picked up her pace and was soon running. Staples had began to suspect people take him to be as dangerous as a hazard in itself. When he had worked as a journalist in Chicago he was mistaken for a burglar. Firoozeh Dumas who was born in Abadan, Iran and then moving into the United States, discusses the troubles her and her family had faced with their ‘ethnic names’; she had dealt with the prejudice remarks and discusses the difficulties of the transitioning from her home country to the great american homeland. In this text...
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...Professor Marc McGrath American Literature 221 31 August 2014 "At Fault" by Kate Chopin is a great American novel and wonderful piece of American Literature, the novel takes place after the civil war and is set in the state of Louisiana. Like most would think, back in those days there were a lot of plantations and farming was big back then. Like in the novel, there is a plantation and there were some four thousands acres it rested on. There are many great characters in the novel by Kate Chopin, Thérèse Lafirme, owner of the Place-du-Bois plantation, David Hosmer, manager of the sawmill on the Place-du-Bois plantation, Fanny Larimore, Lorenzo Worthington, and Jack Dawson, just to name a few. With so many characters in the novel it wasn't easy to chose just one that truly had that uniquely American character. The character I did end up choosing from the novel by Kate Chopin in "At Fault" was the character of Thérèse Lafirme, owner of the Place-du-Bois plantation. If you begin to just read the very first paragraph from the novel, you see that Thérèse Lafirme has suffered a tragic event, the loss of her husband, Jérôme Lafirme, and the passing of him left her in possession and charge of the large plantation. Not the death of her husband but the fact that her and her husband and had such a large plantation was the American dream back then, and this showed that she was American. Even though Thérèse Lafirme was a Creole lady which meant she was in this case a woman that was...
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...changed throughout time the idea of a “paradise” existing in America is like the idea of “the American dream”. A place of belonging and prosperity that will allow for a thriving family. Even though Somalis may see the United States as a place of jannah, they may face a low socioeconomic position, challenged gender and family relations, and a sense of dislocation and religious alienation (Kleist 647). After a rise in discrimination after the events of 9/11 many Somalis have shifted their view of what...
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...The American experience has changed year after year and is difficult culture to live in no matter what race you are. America can be known as the land of the free and of opportunity when ironically the history of America has done everything but give the people freedom and opportunity. From slavery, internment camps, and the civil rights violations America has never been able to accept everyone and their views. In the book The Buddha in the Attic written by Julie Otsuka, the story shows exactly the misunderstanding of America and what is like to have everything, but freedom and opportunity. Japanese women heading over to America to start a new lifestyle and hope for the best of opportunity the women are piled up in a mix of emotion from excitement to nervousness. The women are quickly introduced to the dark and nasty melting pot theory of immigration into America. The theory of the melting pot in America was to create diversity and have a mixture of culture all brought into one and help create the new American people. The melting pot would be accepting of the people of all races...
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...Blackface Chic: High Fashion, Racechange and Cultural Tourism Race, Identity, and Public Culture Popular cultural representations, in particular those in the fashion industry, have recently reinvented a historically loaded image in their performances: blackface.1 In the past several years, blackface and other images of physical transformations of race have appeared in a number of high and popular fashion contexts including a “yellowface” fashion show in Shanghai sponsored by Karl Lagerfeld, supermodel Heidi Klum photographed wearing only chocolate syrup, an issue of French Vogue featuring a white model in black body paint and elaborate “African-inspired” costuming, a photograph in V Magazine of two models, one in blackface and one white, wrestling, two episodes of America’s Next Top Model involving racial and biracial transformation, and an editorial naming American Apparel and showing a woman in blackface. Blackface, though in a contemporary form more accurately described by the term “racechange,” or the performance of one race by another (Gubar 2000), far from being taboo have become an aesthetic in the fashion industry. Though popular magazines and newspapers such as Essence and a number of fashion blogs have responded to particular instances of racial transformation, there is relatively little scholarly work on the rise of racechange in contemporary fashion. This essay attempts to fill that gap in scholarship by examining racial transformation through...
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