Central Board of Secondary Education

Central Board of Secondary Education

Class - X
Unit - 8
Other Worlds Other Cultures
Students 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.
Preface
Education 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 for
bringinga bout qualitative improvement in an educational system. The Curriculum initiated by the Central Board of Secondary
Education-International (CBSE-i) is a progressive step in making the educational content responsive to global needs. It signies
the 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 and
extended 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 and
commerce. The curriculum has been designed to nurture multiple intelligences like linguistic or verbal intelligence, logical
mathematica lintelligence, spatial intelligence, sports intelligence, musical intelligence, inter-personal intelligence and
intra-personal intelligence.
The Core skills are the most signicant aspects of a learners holistic growth and learning curve. The objective of this part of the
core of curriculum is to scaffold the learning experiences and to relate tacit knowledge with formal knowledge. This involves
trans-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 while
addressing the issues of empowerment with the help of the schools administering this system, strongly recommends that
practising 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 apply
themselves 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 Joshi
Chairman, CBSE
Acknowledgements
Ideators IX-X
Dr. Anju Srivastava Ms. Sarita Manuja Mr. Mukesh Kumar Prof. Chand Kiran Saluja
Mr. N K Sehgal Ms. Preeti Hans Ms. Varsha Seth Dr. Usha Sharma
Dr. Uma Choudhary Ms. P Rajeshwary Ms. Sunita Tanwar Ms. Renu Anand
Ms. Anita Sharma Ms. Suganda Vallli Ms. S Radha Mahalakshmi Dr.Rajesh Hassija
Advisory
Shri Vineet Joshi, Chairman, CBSE
Dr. Sadhana Parashar, Director (Academics, Research,
Training & Innovation), CBSE)
Conceptual Framework
Shri G. Balasubramanian, Former Director (Acad), CBSE
Ms. Abha Adams, Consultant, Step-by-Step School, Noida
Dr. Sadhana Parashar, Director (Academics, Research,
Training & Innovation), CBSE
Coordinators:
Chief Co-ordinator:
Ms. Kshipra Verma, EO
(Late) Dr. Srijata Das,
Education Ofcer
Shri R. P. Sharma, C
onsultant (Science)
Shri Al Hilal Ahmed, AEO
Mr. R. P. Sharma,
Consultant (Science)
Mr. Sanjay Sachdeva, D. O.
Ms. P Rajeswary
Education Ofcer
Ms. Reema Arora
Consultant (Chemistry)
Ms. Prabhjot Kaur
Consultant
Mr. Sandeep Sethi
Education Ofcer
Ms. Deepa Shukla
Consultant (Biology)
Mr. Navin Maini, RO
(Technology)
Ms.S. Radha Mahalakshmi
Education Ofcer
Ms. Neelima Sharma
Consultant (English)
Mr. R P Singh, AEO
Ms. Deepa Shukla
Consultant (Biology)
Mr. R P Singh, AEO
Material Developers: Classes IX-X
English:
Ms. Gayatri Khanna
Ms. Renu Anand
Ms. P Rajeswary
Ms. Sarabjit Kaur
Hindi:
Ms. Sunita Joshi
Ms. Babita Singh
Ms. Veena Sharma
Mr. Akshya Kumar Dixit
Core-Sewa:
Ms. Vandna
Ms. Nishtha Bharati
Ms. Seema Bhandari,
Ms. Seema Chopra
Ms. Madhuchhanda
Ms. Reema Arora
Ms. Neha Sharma
Core-Research:
Ms. Renu Anand
Ms. Gayatri Khanna
Dr. N K Sehgal
Ms. Anita Sharma
Ms. Rashmi Kathuria
Ms. Neha Sharma
Ms. Neeta Rastogi
Ms. Manjushtha Bose
Ms. Varsha Manku
Dr. K L Chopra
Core-Perspectives:
Ms. Renu Anand
Ms. Gayatri Khanna
Dr. N K Sehgal
Ms. Anita Sharma
Ms. Rashmi Kathuria
Ms. Neha Sharma
Ms. Neeta Rastogi
Ms. Manjushtha Bose
Ms. Varsha Manku
Dr. K L Chopra
Biology:
Ms. Pooja Sareen
Ms. Neeta Rastogi
Physics:
Ms. Novita Chopra
Ms. Meenambika Menon
Chemistry:
Ms. Charu Maini
Ms. S Anjum
Mathematics:
Dr. K P Chinda
Dr. Ram Avtar
Sh. Mahender Shankar
Sh. J C Nijhawan
Ms. Rashmi Kathuria
Ms. Reemu Verma
Ms. Aarti
Ms. Himani Asija
Economics:
Ms. Anubha Malhotra
Ms. Vintee Sharma
Ms. Chaitali Sengupta
ICT:
Mr. Yogesh Kumar
Ms. Nancy Sehgal
Ms. Purvi Srivastava
Ms. Babita Mahajan
Ms. Ritu Arora
Ms. Swati Panhani
Ms. Chanchal Chandna
Geography:
Ms. Meera Bharihoke
Ms. Parul Tyagi
Ms. Sonia Jarul
Ms. Neena Phogat
Mr. Nisheeth Kumar
History:
Ms. Sajal Chawala
Ms. Jyoti Sharma
Ms. Kamna Khurana
Ms. Shalini Chaturvedi
Mr. Dalia Haldar
Ms. Preeti Gupta
Political Science:
Dr. Sangeeta Mathur
Ms. Ananya Roy
Ms. Sunita Rathee
Ms. Amarjit Kaur
Ms. Nishu Sharma
Ms. Manisha Anthwal
Ms. 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
R
e
a
d
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s

W
r
i
t
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s

S
p
e
a
k
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s
L
i
s
t
e
n
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s
V
o
c
a
b
u
l
a
r
y
G
r
a
m
m
a
r
W
h
a
t

i
s

c
u
l
t
u
r
e
?
I
d
e
n
t
i
f
y
i
n
g

c
u
l
t
u
r
e
s

w
i
t
h

t
h
e

h
e
l
p

o
f

v
i
s
u
a
l

c
u
e
s

i
n
t
r
o
s
p
e
c
t
i
n
g

t
h
r
o
u
g
h

a

m
i
n
d

m
a
p

h
e
l
p
i
n
g

t
h
e
m

a
p
p
r
e
c
i
a
t
e

d
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y

t
h
r
o
u
g
h

v
e
r
b
a
l

c
u
e
s

a
p
p
r
e
c
i
a
t
i
o
n

o
f

w
o
r
l
d

c
u
l
t
u
r
e

d
e
f

n
i
n
g

m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l

o
r

n
o
n
-
m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l

E
x
p
r
e
s
s
i
n
g

a
n
d

d
i
s
c
u
s
s
i
n
g

v
i
e
w
s

o
n

t
h
e

c
u
l
t
u
r
e
F
a
m
i
l
a
r
i
s
i
n
g

t
h
e

l
e
a
r
n
e
r

w
i
t
h

C
u
l
t
u
r
e

V
o
c
a
b
u
l
a
r
y
S
e
c
t
i
o
n
R
e
a
d
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s

W
r
i
t
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s

S
p
e
a
k
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s
L
i
s
t
e
n
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s
V
o
c
a
b
u
l
a
r
y
G
r
a
m
m
a
r
T
w
o

S
c
a
v
e
n
g
e
r
s

i
n

a

T
r
u
c
k
,

T
w
o

B
e
a
u
t
i
f
u
l

P
e
o
p
l
e

i
n

a

M
e
r
c
e
d
e
s

(
p
o
e
m
)
T
a
-
N
a
-
E
-
K
a

b
y

M
a
r
y

W
h
i
t
e
b
i
r
d

(
s
t
o
r
y
)

I
d
e
n
t
i
f
y
i
n
g

c
o
n
t
r
a
s
t
i
n
g

c
u
l
t
u
r
e
s

A
p
p
r
e
c
i
a
t
i
n
g

p
o
e
t
i
c

l
a
n
g
u
a
g
e

C
o
m
p
a
r
a
t
i
v
e

s
t
u
d
y

I
n
t
e
r
p
r
e
t
i
n
g

i
d
e
a
s

i
n

a

p
o
e
m

b
y

r
e
l
a
t
i
n
g

i
t

t
o

o
t
h
e
r

m
a
t
e
r
i
a
l

o
n

t
h
e

s
a
m
e

t
h
e
m
e

a
n
d

t
o

o
w
n

e
x
p
e
r
i
e
n
c
e

a
n
d

k
n
o
w
l
e
d
g
e
.

T
r
a
n
s
c
o
d
i
n
g

i
d
e
a
s

f
r
o
m

v
e
r
b
a
l

t
o

v
i
s
u
a
l

f
o
r
m

A
p
p
r
e
c
i
a
t
i
n
g

t
h
e

t
e
x
t

c
o
n
n
o
t
a
t
i
o
n
,

i
m
a
g
e
r
y
,

a
n
d

o
t
h
e
r

p
o
e
t
i
c

d
e
v
i
c
e
s

C
o
m
p
a
r
i
n
g
/

c
o
n
t
r
a
s
t
i
n
g

d
i
f

e
r
e
n
t

p
o
e
m
s
S
t
o
r
y

e
l
e
m
e
n
t
s

D
i
s
c
u
s
s
i
n
g


c
o
n
t
r
a
s
t
i
n
g

c
u
l
t
u
r
e
s

A
b
i
l
i
t
y

t
o

a
p
p
r
e
c
i
a
t
e

t
h
e

u
n
d
e
r
l
y
i
n
g

m
e
a
n
i
n
g

b
y

g
e
n
e
r
a
t
i
n
g

q
u
e
s
t
i
o
n
s
C
u
l
t
u
r
e

w
o
r
d
s
/

t
e
r
m
s
A
p
p
r
e
c
i
a
t
i
o
n
/

u
s
e

o
f

i
m
a
g
e
r
y

a
s

a

p
o
e
t
i
c

d
e
v
i
c
e
S
e
c
t
i
o
n
R
e
a
d
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s

W
r
i
t
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s

S
p
e
a
k
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s
L
i
s
t
e
n
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s
V
o
c
a
b
u
l
a
r
y
G
r
a
m
m
a
r
V
a
l
u
i
n
g

D
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y
R
e
a
d

t
h
e

t
e
x
t

a
b
o
u
t

t
h
e

N
a
c
i
r
e
m
a

t
r
i
b
e


(
p
a
s
s
a
g
e
)
U
n
i
q
u
e

D
o
g
o
n

C
u
l
t
u
r
e

S
u
r
v
i
v
e
s

i
n

W
e
s
t

A
f
r
i
c
a
(
F
a
c
t
u
a
l

p
a
s
s
a
g
e
)

I
d
e
n
t
i
f
y
i
n
g

m
a
i
n

p
o
i
n
t
s

o
f

a

p
a
s
s
a
g
e

D
r
a
w
i
n
g

i
n
f
e
r
e
n
c
e
s

I
d
e
n
t
i
f
y
i
n
g

r
i
t
u
a
l
s

i
n

t
h
e

t
e
x
t
.

R
e
a
d

t
o

u
n
d
e
r
s
t
a
n
d

t
h
e

g
i
s
t

o
f

t
h
e

t
e
x
t
s

R
e
a
d

f
o
r

s
p
e
c
i
f

c

i
n
f
o
r
m
a
t
i
o
n

U
n
d
e
r
s
t
a
n
d

m
e
a
n
i
n
g
s

i
n

c
o
n
t
e
x
t

M
a
k
i
n
g

i
n
f
e
r
e
n
c
e
s

c
o
m
p
r
e
h
e
n
s
i
o
n

S
h
o
w

c
o
m
p
r
e
h
e
n
s
i
o
n

b
y

f

l
l
i
n
g

i
n

t
h
e

t
a
b
l
e
s

W
r
i
t
e

a

d
e
s
c
r
i
p
t
i
o
n

o
f

a

p
e
r
s
o
n

M
a
k
i
n
g

a

p
o
s
t
e
r

E
x
p
r
e
s
s

t
h
e
i
r

o
p
i
n
i
o
n
s

a
n
d

i
d
e
a
s

i
n

a

g
r
o
u
p

d
i
s
c
u
s
s
i
o
n
M
a
t
c
h

t
h
e

w
o
r
d
s

t
o

t
h
e
i
r

m
e
a
n
i
n
g
s

t
o

f
a
m
i
l
a
r
i
s
e

t
h
e

l
e
a
r
n
e
r
s

t
o

v
o
c
a
b
u
l
a
r
y

i
n

t
h
e

t
e
x
t
/

r
e
l
a
t
e
d
S
e
c
t
i
o
n
R
e
a
d
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s

W
r
i
t
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s

S
p
e
a
k
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s
L
i
s
t
e
n
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s
V
o
c
a
b
u
l
a
r
y
G
r
a
m
m
a
r
E
v
e
r
y
o
n
e

H
a
s

a

C
u
l
t
u
r
e

E
v
e
r
y
o
n
e

I
s

U
n
i
q
u
e
C
o
u
n
t
r
i
e
s
,

F
o
o
d
,

a
n
d

C
u
l
t
u
r
e

I
d
e
n
t
i
f
y
i
n
g

f
e
a
t
u
r
e
s

o
f

y
o
u
r

c
u
l
t
u
r
e

A
p
p
r
e
c
i
a
t
i
n
g

u
n
i
q
u
e
n
e
s
s

o
f

e
a
c
h

c
u
l
t
u
r
e

D
e
s
i
g
n
i
n
g

a

f

y
e
r
G
r
o
u
p

d
i
s
c
u
s
s
i
o
n
S
e
c
t
i
o
n

R
e
s
p
e
c
t
i
n
g

d
i
f

e
r
e
n
c
e
s
/

a
p
p
r
e
c
i
a
t
i
n
g

d
i
v
e
r
s
i
t
y

S
t
u
d
e
n
t
s

l
e
a
r
n

a
b
o
u
t

h
i
s
t
o
r
y

a
n
d

c
u
l
t
u
r
e

b
y

s
t
u
d
y
i
n
g

a

p
a
r
t
i
c
u
l
a
r

f
o
o
d

t
h
a
t

i
s

i
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
t

t
o

t
h
e
i
r

f
a
m
i
l
y
.
R
e
a
d
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s

W
r
i
t
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s

S
p
e
a
k
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s
L
i
s
t
e
n
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s
V
o
c
a
b
u
l
a
r
y
G
r
a
m
m
a
r
T
h
e

A
l
l
-
A
m
e
r
i
c
a
n

S
l
u
r
p

L
e
n
s
e
y

N
a
m
i
o
k
a
E
n
c
o
u
r
a
g
i
n
g

i
n
q
u
i
r
y

r
e
a
d
i
n
g

f
o
r

c
o
m
p
r
e
h
e
n
s
i
o
n

C
r
i
t
i
c
a
l

T
h
i
n
k
i
n
g

e
v
a
l
u
a
t
i
n
g
/

a
n
a
l
y
z
i
n
g
/

i
n
f
e
r
r
i
n
g

e
t
c

t
o

a
p
p
r
e
c
i
a
t
e

a

s
t
o
r
y

t
h
a
t

d
e
s
c
r
i
b
e
s

c
u
l
t
u
r
a
l

d
i
f

e
r
e
n
c
e
s

t
o

l
e
a
r
n

a
b
o
u
t

a

f
e
w

a
s
p
e
c
t
s

o
f

C
h
i
n
e
s
e

e
t
i
q
u
e
t
t
e

t
o

d
e
f

n
e

o
n
o
m
a
t
o
p
o
e
i
a

a
n
d

i
d
e
n
t
i
f
y

e
x
a
m
p
l
e
s

o
f

i
t

i
n

l
i
t
e
r
a
t
u
r
e

t
o

u
n
d
e
r
s
t
a
n
d

t
h
e

i
m
p
o
r
t
a
n
c
e

o
f

t
h
e
m
e

i
n

a

l
i
t
e
r
a
r
y

w
o
r
k

t
o

r
e
s
e
a
r
c
h

f
a
m
o
u
s

C
h
i
n
e
s
e

A
m
e
r
i
c
a
n
s

a
n
d

t
h
e
i
r

c
o
n
t
r
i
b
u
t
i
o
n
s

t
o

s
o
c
i
e
t
y
W
r
i
t
i
n
g

a

d
e
b
a
t
e

W
r
i
t
i
n
g

a
n

i
n
f
o
r
m
a
l

l
e
t
t
e
r
G
r
o
u
p

D
i
s
c
u
s
s
i
o
n
D
i
s
t
i
n
g
u
i
s
h
i
n
g

b
e
t
w
e
e
n

s
u
r
f
a
c
e

a
n
d

d
e
e
p

c
u
l
t
u
r
e
.

A
u
s
t
r
a
l
i
a
n

A
b
o
r
i
g
i
n
a
l

C
u
l
t
u
r
e
C
o
n
d
i
t
i
o
n
a
l

C
l
a
u
s
e
s
I
,

I
I

a
n
d

I
I
I

c
o
n
d
i
t
i
o
n
a
l
S
e
c
t
i
o
n
R
e
a
d
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s

W
r
i
t
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s

S
p
e
a
k
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s
L
i
s
t
e
n
i
n
g
S
k
i
l
l
s
V
o
c
a
b
u
l
a
r
y
G
r
a
m
m
a
r
W
h
e
n

I

W
a
s

G
r
o
w
i
n
g

U
p
N
e
l
l
i
e

W
o
n
g
B
o
y
h
o
o
d

D
a
y
s
:

A
n

A
u
t
o
b
i
o
g
r
a
p
h
y

b
y

B
o
o
k
e
r

T
.

W
a
s
h
i
n
g
t
o
n
B
r
e
a
k
i
n
g

a
w
a
y

f
r
o
m

s
t
e
r
e
o
t
y
p
e
s

R
e
a
d

a

v
a
r
i
e
t
y

o
f

t
e
x
t
s

w
i
t
h

t
h
e

t
h
e
m
e

o
f

c
u
l
t
u
r
e
A
n
a
l
y
z
i
n
g

t
o
n
e
/

m
o
o
d
/

s
e
t
t
i
n
g
/

t
h
e
m
e
V
e
n
n

d
i
a
g
r
a
m
D
a
i
r
y

e
n
t
r
y
C
r
e
a
t
i
n
g

a

t
i
m
e
l
i
n
e
L
e
t
t
e
r

w
r
i
t
i
n
g

f
o
r
m
a
l

a
n
d

i
n
f
o
r
m
a
l
C
u
l
t
u
r
a
l

I
c
o
n
s

G
r
o
u
p

d
i
s
c
u
s
s
i
o
n
L
o
o
k
i
n
g

f
o
r

i
n
f
e
r
r
e
d

m
e
a
n
i
n
g
s
S
e
c
t
i
o
n
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. Diferent cultures exist in
diferent parts of the world. The natural environment greatly afects 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 diferent 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 infuence
principles and philosophies of life. They infuence 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
Specifc Objectives
Students will:
listen to a song
listen for gist and specifc 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 specifc information
understand meanings in context
fnd 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 diferent ending to the story.
write an article
write a conversation/ dialogue
fll in cartoon bubbles
1
Section A
What is Culture?
Warm up
1. The pictures given below refect people across the globe. Match the pictures
to the countries in the box below, by flling 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
2
2.1 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 frst time and give reasons to each statement.
anxious, nervous, uncomfortable, embarrassed, secure, enthusiastic, confdent,
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
3
2.3 Complete the following statements
1. The thing that I would be most worried about is _____________________
2. Something I would feel confdent about ___________________________
3. The person that I would miss the most ____________________________
4. Something that I might be uncomfortable about ___________________
5. The thing that I would fnd 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/diferences 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
4
3.2 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.
5
4.2 Rate how important you think these diferences are to people in your school
or workplace.
Least important Fairly important Very Important
1. People fnd the characteristics which result from a common genetic
bond important.
2. The world treats us diferently 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) infuences 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, afect our
interactions.
8. People who are disfgured, hearing impaired or physically challenged
experience the world diferently.
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
6
Section 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 diferences by flling in the
columns given below.
Two Scavengers in
a Truck
Two Beautiful People
in a Mercedes
1. Dress
2. Food
3. Language
4. Ideas
5. Beliefs
6. Entertainment
7
2. 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 coifed
1
with short skirt and coloured stockings
on the way to his architects of 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
gargoyle
2
Quasimodo
3

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 buildings
3. The ttle character from Victor Hugos novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame
9
2.1 Choose the right answer.
1. The title makes it obvious that the poem will be about the
between two pairs of people/diferent 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 poet
Lawrence 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, fction, theatre, art criticism,
and flm 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
Personnifcation
Metaphor
Stanza/sentence
length/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 efective 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 frst 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?
12
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 fgure: kind and loving despite
his ugliness, he fnally dies of a broken heart. Quasimodo means almost
fnished 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 diferences
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...
13
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 diferent 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 diferent sets of
cultural rules to role play, then having to work out ways to communicate
and solve tasks using their diferent 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 specifc problem.
Objectives
The students will bring out
Contrasting material cultures
Attitude towards other cultures
14
Conficting thoughts/ideas
Cultural divide
Like any inquiry-based exercise, role-playing needs to be followed by a debriefng
for the students to defne what they have learned and to reinforce it.
This can be handled in refective 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 defned 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
fnds 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
- Confict
- Climax
- Resolution.
6. Listening
Frequent tea breaks are the bane of of ce productivity. One strange custom
requires you to ask everyone around whether theyd like tea or cofee whenever
you go to get some for yourself. Often people will try and wait each other out so
that they can avoid this chore.
15
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 flm, Come Out Of The
Pantry (Goodhart / Hofman / Sigler) Jack Buchanan]
[Song in the Teachers manual]
Choose the best option
1. The Turkish love
a. tea
b. cofee
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
16
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 fnish his masterpiece because..
a. it was time to have tea
b. stopped for a break
c. he didnt fnd a hot cup of tea
d. people stopped for a break
17
Section C
Valuing Diversity
Warm up
1. Look at these pictures and guess the culture of the Nacirema tribe in
America.
Notice: Nacirema is American spelt backwards
Dr ess:
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.
18
The focus of this activity is the human body, the appearance and health
of which loom
4
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 debility
5

and disease. Incarcerated
6
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 visible
5. weakness
6. imprisoned
19
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
specifc 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 infuence 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 fbre.
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 paraphernalia
7
, 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 ministrations
8
is to arrest decay and to draw friends.
7. Supplies, equipments
8. support
20
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
purifcation, if they can aford 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.
21
3. On the basis of your reading, answer the following questions
1. Do you fnd the Nacirema rituals of body fascinating? Yes/No. give reasons
2. Which of their habits do you fnd most peculiar and why?
3. Do you fnd 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 fnd 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 diferent 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?
22
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, ofers a balanced view
Paragraphs that
i) introduce the theme
ii) bring out the cause-efect relationship
iii) ofer 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 - efect relationship.
Ofer suggestions/solutions
Do not ask the editor to solve the problem as he can only voice your
views, ideas.
23
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 diferent 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)
24
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 mystifed 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 ffty
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 frst
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 fnd out for themselves.
25
6. Read about the Dogon way of life
1. The Dogon are a clif-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 frst 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 fnd 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
fat-roofed huts to distinctive
tapering granaries. There are a series
of cemeteries along the clif-face,
reached by ladders, where the Dogon
bury their dead. These have been
designated a World Heritage site due
to its cultural signifcance.
26
5. Dogon villages have male granaries which is a storage place for grains.
This building is well protected from mice. The amount of flled male
granaries is an indication for the size and the richness of a guinna
9
.
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 afairs. 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 diferent
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 fnal resting place by the Awa
dance. The Lebe are the group responsible for the agricultural spirits.
8. The Dogon cultural rites refect 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 collectvely are called guinna
27
Dogon Mask Dance
9. During the dances of the Dogon
wear masks; these masks have
infuenced 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 fgures 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 fgures 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 fgures with raised arms,
superimposed bearded fgures, horsemen, stools with caryatids
10
,
women with children, donkeys, dogs, quadruped-shaped troughs or
benches, fgures bending from the waist, mirror-images, and standing
fgures.
10. Draped female gures used instead of columns.
28
7. Based on your understanding of the text complete the following table
about the Dogon tribe
Location
Weather
Buildings
Family groups
Faith
Art
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
___________________
29
8. Vocabulary
Match the culture words in column A to its meaning in column B
A
civilization
clan
cultural region
culture hearth
dialect
difusion
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 defnes what
people should or should not do, think, or
feel in any given social situation.
B
30
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. Defning (or restrictive) - containing information essential to the main
idea (e.g., the information identifes or defnes 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 fghting and shooting have a negative efect on young
people.
2. Nondefning (or non-restrictive) adds information, an explanation or
a description which is not essential to the main idea.
We use a non-defning (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 defning no commas; non-defning 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.
32
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 Eifel Tower is a famous French landmark. The Eifel Tower was built
by Gustave Eifel.
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, scrufy, 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, confdent, selfsh
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 fee 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 up
1.1 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 "diferent."
Describe some of these diferences
Why may people in one group behave diferently 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
diferent people is to look at the foods that they eat.
The Jambalaya one family eats at its annual summer picnic has a very
diferent history and cultural background, for instance, than the Lutefsk
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 diferent from the Guthuk (barley crumb food with flling)
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 foods
Fill 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 predefned
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 fnd 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 fyer 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 fyer.
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?
Refect about a time you were embarrassed by any one of your family.
How do you defne 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 frst 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 frst. When
we were presented with our frst 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 stif 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 ofered the relish
11
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 fakes, 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 unison
12
.
Mrs. Gleason went of with the relish
11
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 of 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 bufet 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 mortifed to go back to the dining table, I
nursed a bit of potato salad on my plate.
11. enjoy
12. agreement
40
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 fgure 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 diferent from a
Chinese meal after all. My mother also puts everything on the table and
hopes for the best.
Meg was the frst 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 scientifc 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 infections
13
, and he looked for opportunities
to show of his mastery of the pluperfect and future perfect tenses, his
two favorites. I shall have fnished my project by Monday, he would say
smugly.
11. modulatons
41
16. Mothers approach was to memorize lists of polite phrases that would
cover all possible social situations. She was constantly muttering things
like Im fne, 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 diferent 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
outfts for me. We had too many other things
to buy frst, like furniture, pots, and pans.
18. The frst 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 frst 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.
42
14. 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
fnally bought me some jeans at the end of the month, when father got
his paycheck. She wasnt in any hurry about buying them at frst, 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 four, I ofered to
borrow a bike from our neighbours son and buy a ten - pound bag of
four at the big supermarket. I mounted the boys bike and waved to my
Mother. Ill be back in fve 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 four.
For dinner we were going to have pot-stickers (fried Chinese dumplings),
and we needed a lot of four.
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 rummage
14
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.
43
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 faming 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 fashlight, the size of a
marking pen. While mother held the fashlight 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 ffty 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.
44
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 fooded the
tabletop and into the lap of a customer. Even the customer didnt notice
anything at frst, 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?
45
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 defnitely making
progress toward becoming Americanized. I remember my parents frst
PTA meeting. Father wore a neat suit and tie, and Mother put on her frst
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 diferent. 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.
46
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 frst 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 fnished eating her helping from the frst!
40. Horrifed, 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 fngers. He really did! A grown man!
47
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 fnished, 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
stufed!
44. Meg had diferent 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 fnishing 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.
48
7. Based on your reading, answer the following.
1. What was the frst cultural diference 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 dif 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 defnition 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
diferent 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 ftting 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)
49
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: Diferent
cultures have diferent 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 dif 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 bufet 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
ftting in with the ways of another country? Explain.
d. What are the diferences and similarities between American and
Chinese culture?

50
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 diferent
country and a diferent 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 dif 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 diferences 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
51
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 diferent 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 fnd themselves and how
they should behave in those situations.
Then each group shares the list with the rest of the class and make a fnal
consolidated list of what is considered rude or impolite in your culture.
What are their major festivals? How do they celebrate?
What is considered rude in their culture? What is polite?
15. Work in groups of four and share your ideas. Distinguish between surface
and deep culture.
Surface Culture: What we can see - food, holidays, arts, folklore, history, etc.
Deep Culture: Things related to culture that we cant see values, beliefs,
ceremonies, defnitions of beauty, religion, sex roles, etc.
Your personal suitcase is given below. Fill the suitcase drawing with words
or images that represent important aspects of your cultural backgrounds.
Then, discuss similarities.
52
5.1. Elements of Culture
Ability
Age
Ethnicity
Gender
Race
In your country, what abilities are most valued? What
abilities are least valued? What kinds of jobs pay
most? What activities or careers are most valued?
Are the most admired and/or important people in
your country older or younger?
What are the smaller or sub-set groups in your society?
What qualities (language, religion, nationality,
ancestry, etc.) make these groups diferent from the
majority of people in your society?
What attitudes do people in your society have towards
males and females? Are there specifc roles for each?
Are there things that are unacceptable for males and
females to do in your society?
What is the racial make-up of your country? Is it
homogeneous or diverse? How many diferent races
are present? Which race makes up the largest group of
people? Which race has the least number of people?
Religion
Socio-economic Status
(Class)
What role does religion play in your society? Is there
a dominant religion or are there many diferent
religions. Do most people express religious beliefs in
everyday life or not?
What kinds of work, housing, educational
opportunities are available to people in your society?
Are most of the people in your society rich, middle
class, or poor?
53
Body Image
Educational Background
Family Make-up
Geographic Background
Language
Learning Style
Beliefs (political, social,
etc.)
Nationality
What qualities are considered attractive in your
society? What is considered unattractive?
What does a person have to do to be considered
learned/wise/intelligent in your society?
What does the typical family household in your society
look like?
Are there parts of your country that are considered
better than other parts?
What language is spoken by most people in your
society? How many languages are spoken by most
people in your society?
What do people in your society consider to be the
best way to learn?
How many diferent political groups are there in your
country? What do these groups stand for/believe in?
What values do these groups represent? Is one group
more popular?
How do people in your society feel about people from
other countries?
5.2. Other Elements of Culture
16. Grammar
If Clause Type I
if + Simple Present, will-Future
Type I indicates what will happen, provided that a certain situation is given.
Examples:
If you invite me for lunch, I will take you out for a movie.
54
If Clause Type II
if + Simple Past, would + infnitive
Type II indicates what could happen if a present situation were diferent.
Examples:
If we had more employees, we would work more ef ciently.
If Clause Type III
if + Past Perfect, would + have + past participle
Type III indicates what could have happened in the past if a situation had been diferent
then.
Examples:
If you had read the paper, you would have seen the news.
6.1. Complete the sentences suitably.
1. If your prices and quality are competitive, we (place) ..an
order.
2. If I had spare time, I (go) to visit my grandmother.
3. If we had known more about their culture, understanding them (be).
easier.
4. We (cancel) .our trip if you don't arrange the tickets by Friday.
5. If Susie (appreciate) .other cultures, she would fnding settling
abroad easier.
6. If you (tell) ..me about the problem, I would have helped you.
7. I (let) .you know if I weren't happy with your work.
8. If you execute the order carefully, they (place) .another order
with you in the future.
55
7. Listening
Listen to the passage on Australian Aboriginal Culture and complete the
statements given below.
Passage in Teachers manual
1. Australian Aboriginal culture dates back ____________
2. Australias Aborigines survived on ______________ and ____________
3. The Aboriginal geographical boundaries were defned by
_________________
4. These Aborigines shared an intimate relationship with ______________
5. The believed that the land was created by _______________________
6. The Aborigines believed that Ancestor Spirits came to Earth forms of
_______________
7. Their deep and intricate understanding of their environment helped
them develop _______________________ medicines.
8. The British colonization proved to be disastrous for indigenous
Australians because _____________________________
9. The British settlements were wrong in their assumption that
_____________
10. The three factors that led to the drop of the Aboriginal population were
a. ____________________
b. ____________________
c. ____________________
8. Activity
Three of the main scenes in The All - American Slurp center on food and culture:
at the Gleasons house, the Lins house, and at the Lakeview restaurant. What
do you know about cultures beside your own?
56
Consult Internet/encyclopedias etc. and research about the culture about a
community other than your own. Use the following questions to guide your
investigation:
What types of foods have been traditionally served at the various
mealtimes?
Do families or groups of people always eat together?
What utensils and dinnerware were used in the past and are used now?
What are the clothes that they usually wear?
What do they wear on formal occasions?
57
Section E
When I Was Growing Up
Nellie Wong
Warm Up
1. Think about the adjectives we typically use to describe women and men and
list these words in the columns below. A couple of examples are provided to
get you started.
WOMEN MEN
Passive
Nurturing
Active
Strong
2. What do you notice about the words we use to describe women and men?
How does our language reinforce stereotypical notions about women and
men?
Before reading the poem take a look at the poems title and based on the title
make a prediction of
what is the poem about
what makes life interesting for a young girl/ what does a girl desire
what can make her unhappy
write a paragraph on something that you aspired for when you were
a child. Also write, what made you aspire that.
58
3. Now read the poem
I know now that once I longed to be white.
How? you ask.
Let me tell you the ways.
when I was growing up, people told me
I was dark and I believed my own darkness
in the mirror, in my soul, my own narrow vision
when I was growing up, my sisters with fair skin got praised
for their beauty, and in the dark
I fell further, crushed between high walls
when I was growing up, I read magazines
and saw movies, blonde movie stars, white skin,
sensuous lips and to be elevated, to become
a woman, a desirable woman, I began to wear
imaginary pale skin
when I was growing up, I was proud
of my English, my grammar, my spelling
ftting into the group of smart children
59
smart Chinese children, ftting in,
belonging, getting in line
when I was growing up and went to high school,
I discovered the rich white girls, a few yellow girls,
their imported cotton dresses, their cashmere sweaters,
their curly hair and I thought that I too should have
what these lucky girls had
when I was growing up, I hungered
for American food, American styles,
coded: white and even to me, a child
born of Chinese parents, being Chinese
was feeling foreign, was limiting,
was unAmerican
when I was growing up and a white man wanted
60
to take me out, I thought I was special,
an exotic gardenia, anxious to ft
the stereotype of an oriental chick
when I was growing up, I felt ashamed
of some yellow men, their small bones,
their frail bodies, their spitting
on the streets, their coughing,
their lying in sunless rooms,
shooting themselves in the arms
when I was growing up, people would ask
if I were Filipino, Polynesian, Portuguese.
They named all the colors except white, the shell
From This Bridge Called My Back: Writings by Radical Women of Color
Nellie Wong (born 12 September 1934) is a poet and activist for feminist and socialist
causes.
A Chinese - American poet and union activist, Nellie
Wong was born and raised in the Oakland Chinatown
of the 1940s. After the incarceration of over 120,000
Japanese Americans to relocation camps during
World War II, Wong worked in her familys great
China Restaurant in Oaklands Chinatown. Later, she
traveled across the Bay to pursue studies in creative
writing at San Francisco State University. Meanwhile,
Wong worked at the Bethlehem Steel Corporation as
a secretary from 1964-82. Wong began writing poetry
in the early 1970s. Wong is one of the founding
members of Unbound Feet, a writing collective of
Chinese-American women who read together and
61
lectured at universities throughout California, in the late 1970s. Wongs poems deal with
themes involving Asian Americans, especially the sense of leaving home behind. I
care about the roots of Asian - American culture and how and why they came here, says
Wong, referring to the long history of Asians immigration to America. Its something
every Asian family has experienced.
4. Based on your reading, answer the following.
1. In the poem When I was Growing Up, what was life like for Nellie Wong?
2. Why is being Chinese described as limiting by the speaker?
3. The efects of these stereotypes are best stated in When I was Growing
Up. What are these stereotypes?
4. What does this text highlight about the concept of identity?
5. The reason why the poet desired to be white was due to the fact that
she lived in America. Perhaps she had faced some discrimination. As the
poet, write a page in the diary, describing her experience that led her to
writing the poem.
6. After reading the third stanza, what type of infuence do you think the
media has on young girls and why?
7. What does this text highlight about the concept of identity?
8. In When I Was Growing Up, the poet describes her self-imposed
boundary of race and how she feels inferior to whites. Discuss.
9. Read this stanza
when I was growing up and went to high school,
I discovered the rich white girls, a few yellow girls,
their imported cotton dresses, their cashmere sweaters,
their curly hair and I thought that I too should have
what these lucky girls had
What is the literary device used by the poet in describing their imported cotton
dresses, their cashmere sweaters, their curly hair? What efect does the use of
this device have on the readers interpretation of the verses? How do these lines
ft in with the characters longing to be white?
62
5. a. Appreciation
What questions do you have about
the poem? What is still unclear?
Tone: What is the speakers tone?
How do you know?
Mood: What kind of mood does this
poem create? How do you feel after
reading it?
Theme: What is the theme of
message of this poem?
Identify as many examples of
fgurative
language as you can in your poem
(3 examplesminimum).
What do you visualize when you
read this poem? Write down any
images that come to mind.
b. Why is on When I Was Growing Up a feministic poem? Share your ideas.
63
6. Writing
a. What advise would you give the speaker of the poem? Write a letter to
the speaker, helping her feel better about the situation.
b. Write a letter to the Editor of a National Daily discussing the gender
stereotypes in cultures.
(Bruce Eric Kaplan from cartoonbank.com).
7. Speaking
Discuss in groups of four
Read your responses to the class. List the suggestions given. Debate what
the best way of coping with such situations is.
Why does he always get to be the boy?
64
Section F
Boyhood Days
From: Up From Slavery: An Autobiography by Booker T. Washington
Warm Up
1. Read these lines from The Negro Mother by
Langston Hughes. The poem speaks for Negro
mothers through the ages. She speaks of the
injustices done to her and of how she was stolen
from her homeland.
I am the one who labored as a slave,
Beaten and mistreated for the work that I gave -
Children sold away from me, husband sold, too.
The Negro mother speaks of having nothing but a dream inside. She had been denied
an education and had experienced a multitude of dif culties; however she kept pushing
forward. What sustained her was the fact that she could realize her dreams through her
children. She hoped for a better future.
I nourished the dream that nothing could
smother
Deep in my breast - the Negro mother.
I had only hope then, but now through you,
Dark ones of today, my dreams must come
true:
Answer the following questions, based on the lines quoted above.
1. Who is the narrator of the selection?
2. Of whom does the narrator speak?
3. How did her people get to America?
65
4. What hardships did they have to endure in the new land?
5. What dreams does the narrator have for her children?
6. What dreams do your parents have for you?
2. Complete the Venn diagram, to bring out the diferences and similarities in
the life and culture described by a Negro woman and yours.
African-American Slaves Your culture Both
3. Read the autobiographical account of a young boy, who was born a slave in
Franklin County, Virginia.
1. After the coming of freedom there were
two points upon which practically all the
people on our place were agreed: that they
must change their names, and that they
must leave the old plantation for at least a
few days or weeks in order that they might
really feel sure that they were free.
2. In some way a feeling got among the
coloured people that it was far from proper
for them to bear the surname of their
66
former owners, and a great many of them took other surnames. This
was one of the frst signs of freedom. When they were slaves, a coloured
person was simply called John or Susan. There was seldom occasion
for more than the use of the one name. If John or Susan belonged to
a white man by the name of Hatcher, sometimes he was called John
Hatcher, or as often Hatchers John. But there was a feeling that John
Hatcher or Hatchers John was not the proper title by which to denote
a freeman; and so in many cases John Hatcher was changed to John S.
Lincoln or John S. Sherman, the initial S standing for no name, it being
simply a part of what the coloured man proudly called his entitles.
3. As I have stated, most of the coloured people left the old plantation for a
short while at least, so as to be sure, it seemed, that they could leave and
try their freedom on to see how it felt. After they had remained away for
a while, many of the older slaves, especially, returned to their old homes
and made some kind of contract with their former owners by which they
remained on the estate.
4. My step father did not belong to the same owners as did my mother. In
fact, he seldom came to our plantation. In some way, during the war, he
found his way into the new state of West Virginia. As soon as freedom was
declared, he sent for my mother to come to the Kanawha Valley, in West
Virginia. At that time a journey from Virginia over the mountains to West
Virginia was rather a tedious and in some cases a painful undertaking.
What little clothing and few household goods we had were placed in a
cart, but the children walked the greater portion of the distance, which
was several hundred miles.
5. I do not think any of us ever had been very far from the plantation, and the
taking of a long journey into another state was quite an event. We were
several weeks making the trip, and most of the time we slept in the open
air and did our cooking over a log fre out-of-doors. One night I recall that
we camped near an abandoned
15
log cabin, and my mother decided to
build a fre in that for cooking, and afterward to make a pallet on the
foor for our sleeping. Just as the fre had gotten well started a large black
snake fully a yard and a half long dropped down the chimney and ran
out on the foor. Of course we at once abandoned that cabin. Finally we
reached our destination - a little town called Malden, which is about fve
miles from Charleston, the present capital of the state.
15. deserted
67
At that time salt - mining was the great industry in that part of West
Virginia, and the little town of Malden was right in the midst of the salt-
furnaces. My stepfather had already secured a job at a salt - furnace, and
he had also secured a little cabin for us to live in. Our new house was
no better than the one we had left on the old plantation in Virginia. In
fact, in one respect it was worse. Notwithstanding the poor condition
of our plantation cabin, we were at all times sure of pure air. Our new
home was in the midst of a cluster of cabins crowded closely together,
and as there were no sanitary regulations, the flth about the cabins
was often intolerable. Some of our neighbours were coloured people,
and some were the poorest and most ignorant and degraded white
people. It was a motley mixture. Drinking, gambling, quarrels, fghts, and
shockingly immoral practices were frequent. Though I was a mere child,
my stepfather put me and my brother at work in one of the furnaces.
Often I began work as early as four oclock in the morning.
6. The frst thing I ever learned in the way of book knowledge was while
working in this salt-furnace. Each salt-packer had his barrels marked with
a certain number. The number allotted to my stepfather was 18. At the
close of the days work the boss of the packers would come around and
put 18 on each of our barrels, and I soon learned to recognize that fgure
wherever I saw it, and after a while got to the point where I could make
that fgure, though I knew nothing about any other fgures or letters.
7. I recall that I had an intense longing to learn to read. I determined, when
quite a small child, that, if I accomplished nothing else in life, I would in
some way get enough education to enable me to read common books
and newspapers. So I induced
16
my mother to get hold of a book for me.
How or where she got it I do not know, but in some way she procured
an old copy of Websters blue - back spelling - book, which contained
the alphabet, followed by such meaningless words as ab, ba, ca, da.
I began at once to devour this book. I had learned from somebody that
the way to begin to read was to learn the alphabet, so I tried in all the
ways I could think of to learn it, - all of course without a teacher. At that
time there was not a single member of my race anywhere near us who
could read, and I was too timid to approach any of the white people.
16. pursued
68
In some way, within a few weeks, I mastered the greater portion of the
alphabet. In all my eforts to learn to read my mother shared fully my
ambition, and sympathized with me and aided me in every way that she
could. Though she was totally ignorant, she had high ambitions for her
children.
8. In the midst of my struggles and longing for an education, a young
coloured boy who had learned to read in the state of Ohio came to
Malden. As soon as the coloured people found out that he could read, a
newspaper was secured, and at the close of nearly every days work this
young man would be surrounded by a group of men and women who
were anxious to hear him read the news contained in the papers. How I
used to envy this man!
9. About this time the question of having some kind of a school opened for
the coloured children in the village began to be discussed by members
of the race. As it would be the frst school for Negro children that had ever
been opened in that part of Virginia, it was, of course, to be a great event,
and the discussion excited the wildest interest. The most perplexing
question was where to fnd a teacher. The young man from Ohio who
had learned to read the papers was considered, but his age was against
him. In the midst of the discussion about a teacher, another young
coloured man from Ohio, who had been a soldier, in some way found
his way into town. It was soon learned that he possessed considerable
education, and he was engaged by the coloured people to teach their
frst school. As yet no free schools had been started for coloured people
in that section, hence each family agreed to pay a certain amount per
month, with the understanding that the teacher was to board round -
that is, spend a day with each family. This was not bad for the teacher, for
each family tried to provide the very best on the day the teacher was to
be its guest. I recall that I looked forward with an anxious appetite to the
teachers day at our little cabin.
10. This experience of a whole race
beginning to go to school for the
frst time, presents one of the most
interesting studies that has ever
occurred in connection with the
development of any race. As it was
a whole race trying to go to school.
Booker T. Washington's childhood home
69
Few were too young, and none
too old, to make the attempt
to learn. As fast as any kind of
teachers could be secured, not
only were day-schools flled, but
night-schools as well. The great
ambition of the older people was
to try to learn to read the Bible
before they died. With this end in view men and women who were ffty
or seventy-fve years old would often be found in the night-school. Day-
school, night-school, Sunday-school, were always crowded, and often
many had to be turned away for want of room.
11. The opening of the school in the Kanawha Valley, however, brought to
me one of the keenest disappointments that I ever experienced. I had
been working in a salt-furnace for several months, and my stepfather had
discovered that I had a fnancial value, and so, when the school opened,
he decided that he could not spare me from my work. This decision
seemed to cloud my every ambition. The disappointment was made all
the more severe by reason of the fact that my place of work was where I
could see the happy children passing to and from school mornings and
afternoons. Despite this disappointment, however, I determined that I
would learn something, anyway.
12. My mother sympathized with me in my disappointment, and sought to
comfort me in all the ways she could, and to help me fnd a way to learn.
After a while I succeeded in making arrangements with the teacher to
give me some lessons at night. These night lessons were so welcome that
I think I learned more at night than the other children did during the day.
But my boyish heart was still set upon going to the day-school, and I let
no opportunity slip to push my case. Finally I won, and was permitted
to go to the school in the day for a few months, with the understanding
that I was to rise early in the morning and work in the furnace till nine
oclock, and return immediately after school closed in the afternoon for
at least two more hours of work.
Booker T. Washington's childhood school
70
13. The schoolhouse was
some distance from the
furnace, and as I had to
work till nine oclock, and
the school opened at
nine, I found myself in a
dif culty. School would
always be begun before I
reached it, and sometimes
my class had recited. To get around this dif culty I yielded to a temptation
for which most people, I suppose, will condemn
17
me. There was a large
clock in a little of ce in the furnace. This clock, of course, all the hundred
or more workmen depended upon to regulate their hours of beginning
and ending the days work. I got the idea that the way for me to reach
school on time was to move the clock hands from half - past eight up to
the nine oclock mark. This I found myself doing morning after morning,
till the furnace boss discovered that something was wrong, and locked
the clock in a case. I did not mean to inconvenience anybody. I simply
meant to reach that schoolhouse in time.
14. When, however, I found myself at the school for the frst time, I also found
myself confronted with two other dif culties. In the frst place, I found
that all the other children wore hats or caps on their heads, and I had
neither hat nor cap. In fact, I do not
remember that up to the time of going
to school I had ever worn any kind of
covering upon my head, nor do I recall
that either I or anybody else had even
thought anything about the need of
covering for my head. But, of course,
when I saw how all the other boys
were dressed, I began to feel quite
uncomfortable. As usual, I put the case
before my mother, and she explained
to me that she had no money with
which to buy a store hat, which was a
rather new institution at that time among the members of my race and
Cabin in Old Virginia where Booker T. Washington lived
Booker T. Washington High School
Atlanta
17. Critcize
71
was considered quite the thing for young and old to own, but that she
would fnd a way to help me out of the dif culty. She accordingly got two
pieces of homespun (jeans) and sewed them together, and I was soon
the proud possessor of my frst cap.
15. I have always felt proud, whenever I think of the incident, that my mother
had strength of character enough not to be led into the temptation. I
have always felt proud that she refused to go into debt for that which she
did not have the money to pay for. Since that time I have owned many
kinds of caps and hats, but never one of which I have felt so proud as of
the cap made of the two pieces of cloth sewed together by my mother.
16. My second dif culty was with regard to my name, or rather A name. From
the time when I could remember anything, I had been called simply
Booker. Before going to school it had never occurred to me that it was
needful or appropriate to have an additional name. When I heard the
schoolroll called, I noticed that all of the children had at least two names,
and some even had three. I was in deep perplexity, because I knew that
the teacher would demand of me at least two names, and I had only one.
By the time the occasion came for the enrolling of my name, an idea
occurred to me. When the teacher asked me what my full name was, I
calmly told him Booker Washington, as if I had been called by that name
all my life; and by that name I have since been known. Later in my life
I found that my mother had given me the name of Booker Taliaferro
soon after I was born, but in some way that part of my name seemed
to disappear and for a long while was forgotten, but as soon as I found
out about it I revived
18
it, and made my full name Booker Taliaferro
Washington. I think there are not many men in our country who have
had the privilege of naming themselves in the way that I have.
17. More than once I have tried to picture myself in the position of a boy
or man with an honoured and distinguished ancestry which I could
trace back through a period of hundreds of years, and who had not only
inherited a name, but fortune and a proud family homestead; and yet
I have sometimes had the feeling that if I had inherited these, and had
been a member of a more popular race, I should have been inclined to
yield to the temptation of depending upon my ancestry and my colour
to do that for me which I should do for myself. Years ago I resolved that
because I had no ancestry myself I would leave a record of which my
children would be proud, and which might encourage them to still
higher efort.
18. Revitalised
72
18. The world should not pass judgment upon the Negro, and especially the
Negro youth, too quickly or too harshly. The Negro boy has obstacles,
discouragements, and temptations to battle with that are little know to
those not situated as he is. When a white boy undertakes a task, it is taken
for granted that he will succeed. On the other hand, people are usually
surprised if the Negro boy does not fail. In a word, the Negro youth starts
out with the presumption against him.
About the Author
Booker T. Washington (1856-1915) was born a slave in
Virginia. His family was so poverty stricken that he worked
in salt furnaces and coal mines beginning at age nine.
Always an intelligent and curious child, he yearned for an
education and was frustrated when he could not receive
good schooling locally. When he was 16 his parents allowed
him to quit work to go to school. They had no money to help
him, so he walked 200 miles to attend the Hampton Institute
in Virginia and paid his tuition and board there by working as the janitor.
Dedicating himself to the idea that education would raise his people to equality
in this country, Washington became a teacher. He frst taught in his home town,
then at the Hampton Institute, and then in 1881, he founded the Tuskegee Normal
and Industrial Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama. As head of the Institute, he traveled
the country unceasingly to raise funds from blacks and whites both.
In 1895, Washington was asked to speak at the opening of the Cotton States
Exposition, an unprecedented honor for an African American. His major
achievement was to win over diverse elements among Southern whites, without
whose support the programs he envisioned and brought into being would have
been impossible.
73
4. Work in groups of four. Share your ideas with the class.
1. The coloured people had to be freed of their names. Why?
2. The parting from our former owners and the members of our own race
on the plantation was a serious occasion. Why does the narrator feel so?
3. Notwithstanding the poor condition of our plantation cabin, we were
at all times sure of pure air. What is implied by pure air? What was the
culture in the new surroundings?
4. . for I could fnd no one to teach me. At that time there was not a single
member of my race anywhere near us who could read, and I was too timid
to approach any of the white people. Bring out the cultural distance in
the community? What was the plight of black teachers then? Why could
the community not give salary to a teacher?
5. This experience of a whole race beginning to go to school for the frst
time, presents one of the most interesting studies that has ever occurred
in connection with the development of any race. Do you think education
builds cultural bridges? How did the position change later?
6. Bring out the cultural diferences in dress. How was the narrator able
to tide over those dif culties? What does that refect in terms of family
values?
7. I think there are not many men in our country who have had the privilege
of naming themselves in the way that I have. Why would the teacher
demand two names? What is the privilege? How did the narrator name
himself?
8. The Negro boy has obstacles, discouragements, and temptations to
battle with that are little known to those not situated as he is. Do you
agree? Give reasons.
74
5. Writing
Read this photograph of newspaper advertisement from the 1780s
It was 1619, when the frst African slaves arrived in Virginia. Write a diary
entry of about 120 words of a young slave, bringing out his perceptions
and fears.
6. Project
1. A handful of men and women are important enough that they are remembered
for decades, even centuries, after their deaths. Identify such cultural leaders
or icons from around the world who have impacted the social, political, or
environmental views of their countries. Explore the defnition of cultural icon
and study at least one cultural leader and his or her part of the world in detail.
Who is a cultural icon?
What does it mean to be one?
Who decides who is considered a cultural icon?
For example: Why is Nelson Mandela so important for South Africa and to all
of Africa? Is Mandela a cultural icon? How is he able to use his status to help his
country?
75
Near the end of the last millennium, TIME magazine produced a top 100 list of
remarkable people from around the world that have made a cultural, social,
historical, or environmental contribution to society. These include people as
diverse as the Unknown Rebel at Tiananmen Square, Elvis Presley, Mohandas
Gandhi, Fidel Castro, the Dalai Lama, and Bill Gates. Ask students why they think
TIME chose to include people like Adolf Hitler who are not widely accepted as
ones who brought positive change to the world.
Choose one such remarkable person. Research on his/her contribution
to the people.
Choose one current world leader.
Are these people are cultural icons? Are they positive role models? Do
they stand for humanitarian and environmental rights?
Has your defnition of a cultural icon changed?
Does a cultural icon even have to be a person? Some people consider
Barbie a cultural icon - do students agree or disagree?
What would be the one thing that you want to change about their
country or world socially, scientifcally, or environmentally? Describe the
kind of cultural icon you would like to be.
2. Create an African - American History Timeline dating back to 1619, when the frst
African slaves arrived in Virginia to 2009, when Barack Obama became the frst
African - American president of the USA. Your timeline must mention at least ten
major events.
3. Cultural Icons: Voices of their Nations
A handful of men and women are important enough that they are remembered
for decades, even centuries, after their deaths. This lesson links geography with
world issues of the 20th and 21st centuries by identifying cultural leaders or icons
from around the world who have impacted the social, political, or environmental
views of their countries.
Explore the defnition of cultural icon and study at least one cultural leader in
your part of the world in detail.
76
Suggested Reading
1. Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Jacobs
2. Yang the Youngest and his Terrible Ear: Lensey Namioka
3. Night of the Scorpio by Nissim Ezekiel
4. The Sorcerers Apprentice by Der Zauberlehrling
5. The Summer of the Beautiful White Horse by William Saroyan
6. Trojan war by Homer
Movies
1. The Story of the Weeping Camel
2. To Sir, With Love