Progress

Directly associated with the value of freedom is the ideal of progress. The desire to progress by making use of opportunities is important to Americans. In this immigrant society, progress is personally measured as family progress over generations.

Many Americans can boast that with each succeeding generation the family's status has improved. The classic American family saga is all about progress. The great-grandparents, arriving from the Old World with nothing but the clothes on their backs, work hard and suffer poverty so that they can provide a good education for their children. The second generation, motivated by the same vision of the future and willingness to work hard and make sacrifices, pass these values to their children.

American Dream

The term “American Dream”, used in widely different contexts from political speeches to Broadway musicals, eludes precise definition. J. T. Adams in The Epic of America (1931) expressed it as "the dream of a land in which life should be better, richer, and fuller for every man with opportunities for each according to his abilities and achievement." The “American Dream” is popularized in countless rags-to-riches stories and in the portrayal of the good life in adver­tising and on TV shows. It teaches Americans to believe that contentment can be reached through the virtues of thrift, hard work, family loyalty, and faith in the free enterprise system.

However, throughout America's history, reality has also taught her citizens, particularly minorities, that the “American Dream” is not open to all. Segregation and discrimination are effective tools which have barred minorities from equal opportunities in all spheres.

II. Answer questions for discussion:

1. How can you identify an American?

2. Does America really offer freedom for all?

3. Why has individualism been a central theme in American history?

4. How can you describe this "can-do" spirits Americans are still proud of today?

5. What kind of services do American volunteers provide?

6. Do Americans still believe in the inexhaustibility of the nation's resources?

7. Why do Americans move from place to place in such a common and accepted practice?

8. How does American patriotism differ from patriotism in other countries?

9. What does the classic American family saga say about progress?

10. How do you understand the term “American Dream”?

11. Can everyone enjoy equal opportunities in the USA?

III. Read the text consulting the dictionary. Write out the new words and learn them. Southern women – still ladies?

It is difficult to speak about the USA as of a single country. Though people speak English there, people of each state speak different English. And, of course, Americans in the North differ from Americans in the South. We can say the same about American women. They are very different in each state.

A few questions can be asked about women from the South of the USA. Are they still the same as they are depicted in the famous film “Gone with the Wind”? In this film we can see the lady of the plantation. Is this Southern lady a bygone figure of the past? Does the Southern woman of the XXI century have something common with her?

There are still Southern belles in the South today. It hasn’t changed so much. Southern girls learn to be ladies since they are little. Nowadays a lady, as many years ago, is charming and above all she is well-bred.

A lady is a woman who is well-bred and who feels well-bred and who is proud to come from a good family. The family background is actually the most important distinguishing feature of a lady. What's really important is that these qual­ities, these ideal qualities of charm and grace, are learned. They are passed on from mother to daughter in each generation. The mothers pass on to their daughters the ideals of being a lady. And, in fact, the degree to which a Southern girl approximates her mother, or is like her mother, is a measure of the degree to which she is a lady. You can see in the South that Southern girls are willing to identify with their mothers, because there are lots of social functions and mother-daughter banquets sponsored by the cheerleading club, and there are even look-alike mother-daughter dresses that you can buy in fashion shops. So, Southern girls do well to be like mother.

Is it possible to distinguish a Southern girl from, let's say, a Northern girl, simply by virtue of appearance? Of course it is possible. A Southern girl is rather vain about her appearances. A Northern girl might wear rugged outdoor sportswear, for example, a skirt, long knee-socks, and comfort­able shoes. But when a Southern girl wears a skirt, she usually wears nylon stockings and some dainty little pumps. That's one difference: that the Southern girl cares so much about her appear­ance she would rather be pretty than comfortable.

Is a Southern girl different in other ways as well? There's really a big difference in the women on Southern college campuses com­pared with the college women in the North. In the South the women aren't particularly interested in politics. They prefer to join social clubs. Sororities are really popular in the South. They are sort of semi-elite societies. They are primarily social, and the women meet together and arrange social activities. They arrange parties and dances, and sometimes do things for charity. These sororities are really popular in the South. But in the North, they are not that popular. Women in the South prefer being involved in things like sororities and partying and having a nice social life.

Politics is something controversial, and very often the Southern girl just avoids con­troversy. She prefers to be charming and gracious and never step on anyone's toes. But in the North, politics is important, and the ERA issue — the Equal Rights Amendment issue — was a very strong and controversial topic. But the Northern girls don't mind getting into contro­versies as much as the Southern girls do. For the Southern girl the highest virtue is to be gracious, and warm, and friendly, and hospitable, and always proud. And somehow that doesn't mix so well with politics. So, all above mentioned proves that Southern women are still ladies.