英美文化Unit 2.pptVIP

Unit 2 Background to America England and America are two countries separated by the same language. -George Bernard Shaw, Readers Digest, November 1942 Images of the United States Land of promise and opportunityLand of miracles and achievementsLand of paradox and contradictionLand of oddities and absurditiesLand of inequality and injustice Look at the following pictures and try to identify the symbols of the U.S. The Statue of Liberty From 1795 to 1818 additional stars and stripes were added to the flag to represent Vermont and Kentucky. In 1818 the U.S. Congress reduced the number of stripes to 13 and established the policy of adding an additional star for every new state. The design was not standardized until 1912, and many variations of the flag were common during the 19th century. The current flag dates from 1960, when a 50th star was added for Hawaii, the 50th state. Rose –more than a symbol of love Empire State Building John F. Kennedy Center Golden Gate Bridge * * Warm –up  the United States  positive   negative The White House bald eagle The Star and Stripes The essential design of the American flag can be traced to a resolution passed by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1777. This resolution stated that the flag should represent the 13 original states with 13 alternating red and white stripes and 13 stars on a blue field. The Congress assigned symbolic meanings to the colors: “White signifies Purity and Innocence; Red, Hardiness and Valor; and Blue, Vigilance, Perseverance, and Justice.” Barbie doll American cowboy The mounted cowboy of the early American West tended stock for cattle owners. Because cowboys worked in largely unsettled and unpoliced territory, they became responsible for protecting the herds from cattle rustlers. This responsibility led to the romanticized notion of the courageous and chivalric cowboy, as portrayed in legends, books, and movies Uncle Sam *