A French Fourth

1
A French Fourth

• The challenge of raising expatriated children

2
Background

• This text is taken from The Atlantic Mothly, July
  /August 2001. The author Charles Trueheart is a
  correspondent for the Washington Post based in
  Paris. Globalization make people can touch their
  own cultures more easily and children abroad can
  learn the history of their motherland from
  school. The culture divide between different
  countries is less jarring. However, on the other
  hand, people are less than fully immersed in a
  truly foreign world.

3
Independence Day

• On July 4, 2006 The United States of America
  celebrates 230th year since Independence
• On July 4, 1776, the United States claimed it's
  independence from England and Democracy was born.
  
• Each year on July 4th, also known as Independence
  Day, Americans celebrate their independence with
  picnics, barbecues, fireworks and family
  gatherings.
• All Americans are entitled to Independence Day
  off work - although some people have to work.
  (like policemen and firemen).
• Independence Day is considered a Family Day with
  picnics, barbecues, fireworks, parades, to
  celebrate independence and freedom.
• Americans proudly fly the American flag and spend
  the day with their families.

4
Why do we celebrate the 4th of July?( for
children) by Kim Moon

• Most people in the United States celebrate the
  4th of July, but do you know exactly why the
  holiday is so important to our country? Imagine
  how you would feel if someone older than you
  (maybe an older sister or brother) kept telling
  you what to do all of the time and kept taking
  more and more of your allowance. That is how the
  colonists felt in the years leading up to 1776.
  Great Britain kept trying to make the colonists
  follow more rules and pay higher taxes.

5

• People started getting mad and began making plans
  to be able to make their own rules. They no
  longer wanted Great Britain to be able to tell
  them what to do, so they decided to tell Great
  Britain that they were becoming an independent
  country. (To be independent means to take care of
  yourself, making your own rules and providing for
  your own needs.)

6

• The Congress met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  and they appointed a committee (a group of people
  working together to do a specific job) to write a
  formal document that would tell Great Britain
  that the Americans had decided to govern
  themselves. The committee asked Thomas Jefferson
  to write a draft (first try) of the document, so
  he worked for days, in absolute secret, until he
  had written a document that he thought said
  everything important that the committee had
  discussed.

7

• On June 28, 1776, the committee met to read
  Jefferson's "fair" copy (he put his best ideas
  together and wrote them neatly.) They revised
  (made some changes) the document and declared
  their independence on July 2, 1776. They
  officially adopted it (made it theirs) on July 4,
  1776. That is why we call it "Independence Day."
  Congress ordered that all members must sign the
  Declaration of Independence and they all began
  signing the "official" copy on August 2, 1776. In
  January of the next year, Congress sent signed
  copies to all of the states.

8

• The Declaration of Independence is more than just
  a piece of paper. It is a symbol of our country's
  independence and commitment to certain ideas. A
  symbol is something that stands for something
  else. Most people can look at a certain little
  "swoosh" and know that it stands for "Nike."
  Well, the signers of the Declaration of
  Independence wanted the citizens of the United
  States to have a document that spelled out what
  was important to our leaders and citizens.

9

• They wanted us to be able to look at the
  Declaration of Independence and immediately think
  of the goals we should always be working for, and
  about the people who have fought so hard to make
  these ideas possible. The people who signed the
  Declaration risked being hanged for treason by
  the leaders in Great Britain. They had to be very
  brave to sign something that would be considered
  a crime! So every time we look at the Declaration
  of Independence, we should think about all of the
  effort and ideas that went into the document, and
  about the courage it took for these people to
  stand up for what they knew was right --
  independence!

10
American flag

• For of all the signs and symbols since the world
  began there is none other so full of meaning as
  the flag of this country. That piece of red,
  white and blue bunting means five thousand years
  of struggle upward. It is the full-grown flower
  of ages of fighting for liberty. It is the
  century plant of human hope in bloom.

11

• Your flag stands for humanity, for an equal
  opportunity to all the sons of men. Of course we
  haven't arrived yet at that goal there are many
  injustices yet among us, many senseless and cruel
  customs of the past still clinging to us, but the
  only hope of righting the wrongs of men lies in
  the feeling produced in our bosoms by the sight
  of that flag.

12

• Other flags mean a glorious past, this flag a
  glorious future. It is not so much the flag of
  our fathers as it is the flag of our children,
  and of all children's children yet unborn. It is
  the flag of tomorrow. It is the signal of the
  "Good Time Coming." It is not the flag of your
  kingit is the flag of yourself and of all your
  neighbors.

13

• This tribute to the flag is offered to the
  country in appeal to all men and women of all
  races, colors and tongues, that they may come to
  understand that our flag is the symbol of liberty
  and learn to love it.

14
Analysis

• This text talks about the influence of a
  foreign culture on expatriated families. It can
  be divided into three parts. In part I, the
  author starts with a way of celebrating his home
  countrys National Day In part II he makes a
  contrastive analysis of the costs and benefits of
  the expatriated people In part III, he talks
  about the effect of globalization.

15
Part I paragraph 1-3

• He celebrated his national Day in another country
  hanging an old flag from a fourth-floor balcony.
  He then reminds people like him of their native
  country and culture.
• The following question may be asked
• Why does the author hang the American flag from
  his fourth-floor balcony in Paris?
• The author has kept the old flag for a long time.
  Why didnt he get a new one?
• Why do the author and his family go back home
  for the summer?

16
Question 1

• He does it for two reasons. First, as an American
  living in Paris, he does not want to forget his
  native heritage ad flag-hanging is the only thing
  he can do to celebrate the Independence Day.
  Second, he wants to use the flag-hanging as a
  special means to teach his children about the
  American history and as a reminder of their
  American identity.

17
Question 2

• The text does not tell us explicitly, but it is
  very likely that this flag was brought to Paris
  from the U.S. a long time ago. To the author, the
  old flag is a better reminder of his home country
  than a new one.

18
Question 3

• As expatriates, they are not used to the custom
  and cultural traditions in France, but they have
  little access to the traditional culture of their
  motherland. So they go back home to trace the
  heritage of Americans. In addition, because their
  children are reared up in a completely foreign
  culture, they have the obligation to teach their
  children the culture and history of their
  motherland.

19
How to Display the Flag

• 1. When the flag is displayed over the middle of
  the street, it should be suspended vertically
  with the union to the north in an east and west
  street or to the east in a north and south
  street.
• 2. The flag of the United States of America, when
  it is displayed with another flag against a wall
  from crossed staffs, should be on the right, the
  flag's own right that means the viewer's left ,
  and its staff should be in front of the staff of
  the other flag.

20

• 3. The flag, when flown at half-staff, should be
  first hoisted to the peak for an instant and then
  lowered to the half-staff position. The flag
  should be again raised to the peak before it is
  lowered for the day. By "half-staff" is meant
  lowering the flag to one-half the distance
  between the top and bottom of the staff. Crepe
  streamers may be affixed to spear heads or
  flagstaffs in a parade only by order of the
  President of the United States.

21

• 4. When flags of States, cities, or localities,
  or pennants of societies are flown on the same
  halyard with the flag of the United States, the
  latter should always be at the peak. When the
  flags are flown from adjacent staffs, the flag of
  the United States should be hoisted first and
  lowered last. No such flag or pennant may be
  placed above the flag of the United States or to
  the right of the flag of the United States (the
  viewer's left). When the flag is half-masted,
  both flags are half-masted, with the US flag at
  the mid-point and the other flag below.

22

• 5. When the flag is suspended over a sidewalk
  from a rope extending from a house to a pole at
  the edge of the sidewalk, the flag should be
  hoisted out, union first, from the building.
• 6. When the flag of the United States is
  displayed from a staff projecting horizontally or
  at an angle from the window sill, balcony, or
  front of a building, the union of the flag should
  be placed at the peak of the staff unless the
  flag is at half-staff.

23

• 7. When the flag is used to cover a casket, it
  should be so placed that the union is at the head
  and over the left shoulder. The flag should not
  be lowered into the grave or allowed to touch the
  ground.

24
Language Work

• Fold away
• 1) make something into a smaller, neater shape
  by folding it, usually several times
• These camping chairs can be folded away and
  put in the trunk.
• The piece of paper was folded away carefully
  and trucked into her purse.

25
regulation

• Conforming to regulations or rules
• As we walked along the street, we could see the
  noisy cheerful group of people in regulation
  black parade tunics.
• Christians usually decorate their house with the
  regulations as Christmas approaches.
• only before noun
• used or worn because of official rules
• The girls were all wearing regulation shoes.

26

• 2) the date and the occasion that prompt its
  appearance
• The event of the thirteen sates of British
  colonies declaring their independence on July 4,
  1776 brought about the appearance of this flag.
• 3) suppress such outward signs of their heritage
  
• do not give manifestations of their
  traditional culture handed down from their
  ancestors.

27

• Expatriate someone who lives in a foreign
  country
• British expatriates living in Spain
• expatriate adjective only before noun
  expatriate workers
• Suppress if important information or opinions
  are suppressed, people are prevented from knowing
  about them, even if they have a right to know

28

• Refuel Its original meaning is to fill with more
  fuel for a vehicle but here it means to fill
  someones mind with more knowledge of their
  native culture.
• Oil tankers will accompany the containers for
  trans-ocean refuelling.
• In a society of intense competition, people
  have to refuel every year to catch up with the
  rapid renewal of knowledge.

29
(No Transcript)
30

• Cool calm and unemotional in a difficult
  situation
• He was marvelously cool again, smiling as if
  nothing had happened.
• I didnt like him at all. I thought he was cool
  and arrogant.
• The American in me the feeling of being American
  which is deeply rooted in my mind.

31

• Twinge a sudden feeling of slight pain
• I felt a twinge of pain in my back.
• 2 a twinge of guilt/envy/sadness/jealousy etc
• a sudden slight feeling of guilt etc
• He felt a sharp twinge of guilt for not taking
  the trouble to visit her.
• Lacuna lacunae / -ni? / or lacunas formal
• a place where something is missing in a piece of
  writing

32
Part II paragraph 4-9

• This part is the main body of the essay, in which
  the author tells us what is good and what is bad
  in living in a foreign country. He supports his
  arguments with the experience of his own family
  and the difference between his generation and the
  generation of his own children.

33
Part II paragraph 4-9

• The following questions could be asked
• What are the costs and benefits of raising
  children in a foreign culture?
• What is the authors purpose of telling the story
  of his own children in Paragraph 4 and 5? How is
  the story related to his argument?
• Did the author achieve the purpose of his summer
  travel in the U.S.?

34
Question 1

• According to the author, it is difficult for
  children to understand and identify the virtues
  of their native culture without living in it so
  they need to go back to their native country to
  compensate for the ineffective family education.
  But the practice of raising children in a foreign
  culture has its merits. For example, it helps the
  children to acquire the new culture without being
  exposed to the disadvantages of their native
  culture.

35
Question 2

• The story of his children is typical of American
  expatriates in France. It tells us that the
  children can learn a lot about a new culture
  without losing completely their own language or
  being exposed to the follies of their own
  culture. But at the same time, the story also
  shows that it is rather difficult for the
  children to understand the historical heritages
  of their motherland as their peer groups in the
  U.S.

36
Question 3

• Not really. During the summer vacation, the
  author visited his brothers family in
  Massachusetts. In one weeks time, they took the
  children to learn details of the American
  Revolution. They hope that the reenactment of the
  war will help the innocent children to understand
  the great historical event that led to the
  foundation of the nation. But to his
  disappointment, the result is not quite
  satisfactory because the children cannot
  completely grasp the gist of what they saw or
  heard.

37

• Object lesson a striking practical example of
  some principle or ideal, an event or story that
  shows you the right or wrong way of doing
  something
• They responded to daily emergencies in a way that
  was an object lesson to us all.
• That was an object lessen in how to handle a
  difficult customer.

38

• Folly a very stupid thing to do, especially one
  that is likely to have serious results
• Somerville bitterly regretted his folly at
  becoming involved.
• it would be folly to do something
• It would be sheer folly to reduce spending on
  health education.

39

• Take pride in being American have a feeling of
  great pleasure or satisfaction of being a native
  American.
• Confirm prove something definitely true
• These statistics confirm our worst fears about
  the depth of the recession.
• The spokesman confirmed that area was now in the
  rebels hands.

40

• Re-enact to perform the actions of a story,
  crime etc that happened in the past
• At the church, children re-enacted the Christmas
  story. / a re-enactment of the crime
• Skirmish a fight between small groups of
  soldiers, ships etc, especially one that happens
  away from the main part of a battle - used in
  news reports
• skirmish with/between/over
• a short argument, especially between political or
  sports opponents

41
Three cornered hat and cotton bonnet
42

• Goggle to look at something with your eyes wide
  open in surprise or shock
• synonym gape/ goggle at
• They were goggling at us as if we were freaks.
• Goggle-eyed with your eyes wide open and looking
  directly at something, especially in surprise or
  shock
• Make-believe when you imagine or pretend that
  something is real or true
• He seems to be living in a world of make-believe
  . children in the middle of a make-believe
  adventure

43

• gas-protection goggles
• ????
• protective goggles
• ???, ????
• safety goggles
• ???, ????
• skiing goggles
• ??????
• snow goggles
• ??????

44
(No Transcript)
45
Goggle-eyed
46

• Satisfaction swelling in my breast with my heart
  full of satisfaction
• Gulliver an Englishman
• who travels to the imaginary
• lands in Jonathan Swifts
• satire Gullivers Travels.

47
Gulliver s voyage to Lilliput( ???)
48

• As we pursued this conversation as we continued
  to discuss the topic of the American Revolution.
• Frame of reference a particular set of beliefs,
  ideas, or observations on which one bases his
  judgment.
• Please see to it that you are dealing with
  someone with a different frame of reference.
• The observer interprets what he sees in terms
  of his own cultural frame of reference.

49

• riposte formal a quick, clever reply to
  something that someone has said
• a suitably witty riposte
• Verb retort quickly
• Bring up mention ,show the example of

50
Part III paragraph 10-12

• Questions to be asked
• Why does the author recall his own experience as
  a child in Paragraph 10?
• What are the differences between the author and
  his children as expatriates at about the same
  time in their lives? What causes the differences?
• Why does the author say the development is sad?

51
Question 1

• Because he wants to illustrate that as a child he
  had a particular way of viewing the world around
  him, which was quiet different from that of the
  adults. Haste makes waste. So the knowledge of
  his native land should be accumulated gradually.

52
Question 2

• They are different in both behavior and
  mentality. His children are quite like their
  French peers in behavior and dress style, while
  the author was quite different from his French
  peers when he was a child. These differences are
  due to the rapid social changes and cultural
  merging all over the world. The world is becoming
  a huge melting pot in which different cultures of
  the world are mixing up.

53
Question 3

• Because globalization becomes the keynotes of
  life in the world today. Cultures are also
  merging with each other. Children cannot tell the
  exact differences between two cultures and it is
  impossible for them to relive the authors
  experience of living in a foreign culture. So
  this kind of development as sad to the author.

54

• Resonate if something such as an event or a
  message resonates, it seems important or good to
  people, or continues to do this
• with an idea that resonates with many voters
• to make a sound that is produced as a reaction to
  another sound
• Oklahoma! (1943) a musical (a play that uses
  singing and dancing to tell a story) by Richard
  Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein about people who
  moved to Oklahoma in the late 1800s. It was made
  into a successful film in 1955, and it includes
  many well-known songs, such as 'Oh what a
  beautiful morning!'

55
Square dancing

• It is a folk dance developed in America from
  adaptations of the English running sets and the
  stately French cotillion which later developed
  into the less formal quadrilles, and in America,
  the Virginia Reel. In square dancing four couples
  are in square formation, dancing always as a
  group. Under the direction of a caller, or as he
  was formerly known, a prompter, they perform
  intricate figures and patterns, often changing
  partners, to the rhythm of stringed instruments
  playing lively tunes.

56
Square dancing a traditional American dance in
which sets of four couples dance together in a
square formation
57

• Surreys with fringe on top old fashioned
  horse-drawn carriages with fancy decorations on
  top.

58

• Sinister evil, sinful
• Personify to have a lot of a particular quality
  or be a typical example of something
• Carter personifies the values of self-reliance
  and hard work. kindness/generosity etc
  personified Bertha was kindness personified.
• to think of or represent a quality or thing as a
  person
• personify something as somebody

59

• Cliché an idea or phrase that has been used so
  much that it is not effective or does not have
  any meaning any longer
• There is plenty of truth in the cliché that a
  trouble shared is a trouble halved.
• clichéd adjective

60
Davy Crockett hat
61

• Lands End the name of a fashion company
• Fleece the woolly coat of a sheep, especially
  the wool and skin of a sheep when it has been
  made into a piece of clothing
• uncountable an artificial soft material used to
  make warm jackets
• countable British English a jacket made of this
  artificial material
• Verb to charge someone too much money for
  something, especially by tricking them

62

• A much less jarring cultural divide a much less
  unsuitable cultural divergence The output.
• Jar to make someone feel annoyed or shocked
• His enthusiasm jarred. His words jarred Harriet.
• jar on The screaming was starting to jar on my
  nerves .
• Re-entry is likely to be smoother. It seems to
  be easier for the children to restart the
  acquisition of their native culture

63

• Immerse to put someone or something deep into a
  liquid so that they are completely covered
• immerse somebody/something in something
• Immerse your foot in ice cold water to reduce the
  swelling.
• immerse yourself in something
• to become completely involved in an activity
• He left school at 16 and immersed himself in the
  Labour party.
• ?immersed adjective She was far too immersed in
  her studies.

64
Structural Analysis

• In this text there are both general and specific
  discussions about how to keep the cultural
  identity of the expatriated people.
• The author of this text follows a
  specific-general pattern in his discussion. The
  specific points can be found in his discussion of
  the costs and benefits of raising children in a
  foreign culture in Para 4-9 while the general
  conclusion can be found in Para 10-12, esp.12.

65
Rhetorical Features

• Generally speaking, the author of this text has
  adopted a plain language style
• concessive words and expressions like but are
  frequently used.