Amerikanischer Traum - America's history, school system and famous speeches

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T. Adams publishes ,,The Epic of America" 1945 Japan Incident 1950s-1960s Civil Rights Movement 1963 Martin Luther King performs his famous speech since 1970 2001 9/11 Additional information from individual research Disease and hunger were so severe that about 1 mio. people died and another million turned to immigration; decreasing population by 20-25% Approximately four millions laves were freed at the end of the Civil War. Declares all slaves as legally free; beginning of segregation The 19th amendment was ratified after almost a century of protests. James T. Adams was the first person to coin the term ,,American Dream", a concept common in popular culture. USA drops atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 African Americans experienced heavy segregation/ discrimination and were often kept from voting. It begins with the Montgomery bus boycott. Protests against segregation in Washington. Martin Luther King performs his ,,I have a dream" speech. The idea of a multicultural/diverse America becomes dominant. Terrorists attack the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. Declaration of Independence (1776) individual/inalienable rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness) • all men are created equal The Bill of Rights (1791) guaranteed inalienable rights (freedom of religion/press/speech, the right to bear arms, the right for privacy) A nation of immigrants: ● In former times: melting pot: people from the European countries come to the US to form a nation, to become America Lately/Recent development: salad bowl: people keep their cultural identity American Dream: Definition: The American Dream is the belief that anyone, regardless of where they were born or what class they were born into, can attain their own version of success in a society where upward mobility is possible for everyone. The American Dream is achieved by sacrifice, risk-taking and hard work, not by chance. ability to go as far as you can, only limited by your own willingness associated with ownership (material goods) Key concepts: . . ● ● ● . fulfillment of human wishes life, liberty, pursuit of happiness great possibilities . unalienable rights (civil and human rights) individual/religious freedom Criticims/Problems: material success fame/stardom equality, peace, justice social mobility free education unrealistic hopes of life makes people believe things that are not likely even if you work hard, you may not succeed • the AD tells you that it is what it is: a dream only too much focus on financial gain (economic dream) strong discrepancy between reality and dream ● ● ● Is America still the Promised Land? Pro: strong economy and high living standards • incredible landscape, nature, mountains, beaches and sights • a lot of good schools: chances for good education • one of the leading world powers english as lingua franca/world language Contra: . . mostly overpopulated cities expensive living situation • no medical insurance social promises are unfulfilled: death penalty sill exists in some states, a lot of homeless people, lots of crimes, racism, discrimination gap between the rich and the poor is still growing because of expensive education . discrimination of ethnic groups (promises of the AD have not been fulfilled) AD stands for equality but the school system establishes inequality The American School System: • nursery school can be compared to German Kindergarten kindergarden comes after pre-school ● high school ends with a high school diploma after the 12th grade state-run schools are called public schools private schools are mostly organized by religious institutions students spend a lot of time at school besides their lessons activities look good on their college applications home schooling is common in the US Inequality at American schools: ● ● ● ● schools are funded by local property taxes which are much higher in affluent towns/suburbs poor areas have lower home values, collect less taxes and spend less money on a pupil - a lot of school activities have to do with the community (f.e. building a playground in the neighborhood at the weekend) Poor towns: . . . bigger classes less guidance counselors frustrated teachers: they eventually leave school, more substitute teachers students who misbehave are more likely to get suspended/expelled from school poorly-paid teachers students share computers and therefore spend less time on computer projects bilingual education programs are shut down • more dilapidated facilities • more poorly equipped Rich towns: well-equipped (personal laptops, up-to-date books, digital whiteboards, projectors etc.) students get more support (teachers work with them if they misbehave) • students get better opportunities and tend to be more successful Famous speeches: • a summary of Obama's victory speech (example) introductory sentence (author, title, audience, place and date of delivery, topic) Barack Obama's victory speech, addressed to the supporters of his presidential campaign and delivered in Chicago in November 2012, deals with the vision of the American people and the nation's future. According to Obama America will make progress due to its people who were able to cope with difficult situations in the past. Main body At the beginning of his speech, Obama claims that America's future will be great and compares the people of the country to a family that must stick together. Although, he is of the opinion that American people are very different, he holds the view that they have certain hopes in common. They hope for the best education for their children as well as an economically and climatically stable country which guarantees equal opportunities. Moreover, American people want a strong military that will establish peace, freedom and dignity all over the world. They hope for a tolerant America where immigrants will be able to fulfill their dreams. Obama promises unlimited opportunities to America's children and describes the American Dream throughout his speech to his audience. He presents America as a country without any flaws, a country that is admired around the world. According to Obama, Americans appreciate the American Dream and therefore want to keep its promise that if you work hard, you will be able to fulfill your dreams, regardless of your nationality, skin colour, sex, class, physical ability or sexual orientation. Political speeches: 1. A political speech generally starts with an introduction by which the speaker intends to attract the audience's attention, for example by 2. In the main part of the speech the speaker tries to maintain the audience's attention, for instance by - forming rather short and clear sentences - developing his/her thoughts and main points step by step backing up his/her main ideas with facts and background information - suggesting what should be done to improve the situation or presenting solutions to the problem including personal experience, examples or a story to make his/her speech more lively, - is establishing a "personal" relationship to become well-liked using rhetorical devices such as repetition, alliteration, comparisons, etc. I making the purpose of the speech clear mentioning the topic and by emphasizing its importance beginning with question or a little story showing or referring to something related to the topic, such as an object, a photo, statistics, etc. 3. At the end of his/her speech the speaker may appeal again to the audience's intellect and/or emotions, for example by summing up his/her main ideas/arguments in one or two sentences - briefly mentioning what the outlook might be asking the audience to support his view, ideas, programs, etc. Some important aspects for the analysis of political speeches: Pay special attention to a) key words, symbols, slogans phrases b) use of special semantic fields (e.g. religion, family, war, ...) c) positively and negatively connoted words d) oppositions (e.g. negative/positive; near/distant; familiar/alien) e) eye-catching grammar (e.g. passive or active voice, ...) f) the use of personal pronouns (e.g. 'I', 'us', 'we', 'you', 'they' etc.) and the meaning of these pronouns in the context of the speech Devices often found in (political) speeches: . · ● imagery (metaphors/similes/symbols) rhetorical questions direct address - including 'we' ● ● Devices often (additionally) employed in inaugural addresses of American Presidents: alliteration enumeration anaphora parallelism allusion to typical American qualities reference to landmarks in American history biblical references/quotations naming of other American presidents Useful phrases: (to) address an issue/a problem (to) outline a vision (to) introduce (far-reaching) reforms (to) stress, emphasize, underline, highlight (to) reinforce one's point by (to) personally address sb. (to) connect with sb. (to) bond with sb. (to) inspire hope in the audience (to) evoke a positive mood/reaction (to) flatter the audience ● . (to) encourage the audience (to) appeal to the audience (to) create a memorable phrase (to) create a vivd picture/mental image in the reader's mind The aim/purpose of this stylistic device is to The speaker uses/makes use of/employs/applies this divide in order to By using this device the speaker tries/hopes/aims to achieve