Topics for Composition and Discussion

• The English-Irish cultural conflict.

• Celtic Languages and Cultural Identity.

• Scotland’s cultural identity and heritage are strong differentiating factors.

• Cultural relationship between the Welsh and the English.

Text c. The American Dream

The history of the United States is unique because it is a country developed by immigrants. This influenced the American mentality and dream because immigrants came to the new world to escape poverty and religious and political oppression, in hopes for a better life. At that time Europe was dominated by monarchs and feudal lords, but the new world could guarantee social mobility and basic rights.

Geography played an important role in understanding the development of the American Dream. There was a lot of cheap land in America, so people were given opportunity to make their life richer. Thus, there was the possibility for self-improvement which led to the idea of the self-made man.

Along with these economic opportunities came the other values such as freedom, independence, success, equality and individuality. Equality was just an opportunity, not condition. If some did better than others, success was their reward. If others failed, it was their fault because they had had the opportunity to succeed.

Many of the original ideas behind the American Dream still exist today including the idea of the self-made man. As a result, the United States has a less developed social welfare (соціальний захист) system than in Europe. For example, 47 million Americans do not have health care insurance (страховка).

The emphasis (наголос) on the self-made man has a positive influence, too. Americans are very ambitious and are very optimistic. The idea is that anything is possible if you try hard. This has resulted in a dynamic, creative society. The slogan “Just Do It” sums up much of American thinking. Instant (миттєвий) wealth has not always been a major component of the Dream. Americans have traditionally centered their efforts on hard work and saving money.

The American Dream meant much more in the past than it does today. The concept of it has been changed from principles of freedom to materialism. Materialism became part of the American way of life – money, nice homes and generally having the latest things.

The question is whether this dream is still alive. As a result of the recent economic crisis eight million jobs nave been lost. In addition, when people lose their job they often lose their health insurance and even their homes. Real wages have dropped over the last 30 years. There is a huge gap in the quality of education in poor areas compared to richer suburbs. So, the dream may exist, but the reality is somewhat different.

Americans want a better future. This is the American Dream.

Exercise 15.

Read Text C and answer the following questions:

• Is the U.S. really a land of equal opportunities?

• What is unique about the history of the United States?

• What does the concept of the self-made man mean?

Topics for Composition and Discussion

• The Dream has ended.

• Goodbye, American Pie!

• The American Dream is inequality.

Unit 3. MULTICULTURALISM

& CROSS-CULTURAL COMMUNICATION

Essential Vocabulary

accept приймати ◊ She managed to accept his point of view.

advantage перевага ◊ His idea has some advantages too.

background походження ◊ I don’t know anything about her cultural background.

cause спричиняти, викликати ◊ My explanation caused some misunderstanding between my brother and me.

cosmopolitan космополітичний ◊ Kyiv is a cosmopolitan city nowadays.

cuisine кухня, харчування ◊ I really love Ukrainian cuisine!

discrimination неоднакове ставлення, дискримінація ◊ In my opinion racial discrimination is an awful thing.

fight against боротися з кимось ◊ Unfortunately people still fight against each other all around the world.

harmony гармонія ◊ I want to live in harmony with the whole world.

hatred ненависть, зненависть ◊ There was no hatred in their small village.

integrate інтегрувати, складати ціле ◊ New immigrants integrated successfully.

mean означати, мати значення ◊ I don’t understand what you mean.

multinational багатонаціональний ◊ Multinational festivals are very popular in the USA.

popularity популярність ◊ The popularity of this group is a well-known fact.

promote висувати, просувати ◊ A lot of people want to promote better cross-cultural understanding in their countries.

throughout через, протягом ◊ This tradition is well-known throughout the country.

total сукупний, сумарний ◊ Ukraine has a total population of 48 million people.

unemployment безробіття ◊ Unemployment is one of the major problems of the modern world.

welcome вітати ◊ I am happy to welcome you in our country!