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Ta lking a bout the picture
“Individualism is one of the most predominate social beliefs by which Americans try to live their lives. ” It can be well demonstrated by the images of the cowboy with afrontier spirit.
Look at the following pictures and try to depict the features of the cowboy characteristics.
Some useful expr essions:
the American frontier
created heroes，knightlike
self -reliant，strong-willed，tough
faithful，honest，truthful，virtuous
confident individual
prefer actions to words
always try to treat others fairly
represented by the myth of the American cowboy
modern versions personified in movies by John Wayne，Clint Eastwood，and Sylvester Stallone
similar qualities in the heroes of the Star Trek and Sta r Wars movie series
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Ⅰ. Grou p d iscu ssion
The one value that nearly every American would agree upon is individual freedom.
Whether you call it individual freedom，individualism，or independence，it is the cornerstone of American values. It permeates every aspect of American society. The concept of an individual??s having control over his / her own destiny influenced the type of government that was established here，and individual rights are guaranteed in the United States Constitution ( the supreme law of the land) .
1. Why is the value of individualism so deeply rooted in American culture according to the text B? You may also relate it to your knowledge of American history.
2. What do you think about American individualism? How would you comment on it compared with the traditional collectivism in Asian culture?
3. Can you predict what misunderstandings might occur if we don??t know the values and assumptions discussed in Text B?
Ⅱ. Pair wor k
Amer ican individua lism in r ea l life
1. The emphasis on the individual and his /her right to happiness can be confusing.
For instance，it allows children to disagree，even argue with their parents. While in most other cultures，especially in Asian culture，such an action would be a sign of disrespect and a lack of love. That is not the case in the United States. It is simply a part of developing one??s independence.
Have you ever argued with elder people or challenged their authority? If yes，how did they treat your challenge and what was the result?
2. The emphasis on individualism also leads to choice in education. Education is often regarded as the key to opportunity，including financial security. Americans take a pragmatic approach to learning，so what one learns outside the classroom through internships，extracurricular activities and the like is often considered as important as what is learned in the classroom. Consequently，lifelong learning is valued which results in many adult continuing-education programs. Americans have many choices.
In a school they decide their major field of study，perhaps with or without their parents??influence，and students even get to select some of their courses. These “elective” courses often confuse foreign students who may expect a more rigid
curriculum.
Do you prefer such an optional way of education or our present way? Why?
3. Such individual rights are so protected in the American judicial system that even Americans may complain that criminals sometimes“get away with murder”，most people believe it is better to free a few guilty persons than to imprison one person
who is innocent.
How will you explain such a phenomenon?
Ⅲ. A game: DIY ( do it your self)
One important aspect of this individualism is self-reliance and the ability to“make it on your own”. Many people from the US feel that they should be able to take care of themselves and do things by themselves. One way that this feeling manifests itself in the US is through the popularity of hardware stores and lare do-it-yourself centers.
Although some cultures see manual labor as demeaning，the US culture does not. This can be easily seen from the above pictures. The suburban ideal，and the postwar building boom that made it accessible to growing numbers of Americans，provided a context for do-it-yourself to become a mass cultural phenomenon in the early 1950s.
Popular magazines proclaimed the trend??s arrival.“This is the age of do-it-yourself，”
Business week announced. While the possibilities for do-it-yourself home improvement had been emerging for several decades，it now became an acceptable desirable，and even expected activity for large numbers of American families.
1. Do you admire such DIY courage? Tell your partner something you have made manually by yourself of which you are most proud.
2. Make something with a friend or by your own only by your hands. For example,you can make a toy，a model plane，cakes，a scarf and so on. Then tell your partner about the whole process.