Defining culture?
Examples:
Defining culture’, we will approach the notion of culture which for many
is a somewhat difficult concept to grasp.
Depending on who and where you are, the idea of what ‘culture’ is may
vary.
Culture is often perceived as the customs and traditions which signify a
specific country or people. Through pictures we will first of all try to narrow
down how culture may be understood.
It is easy to experience different types of culture when we travel, but
sometimes we have to look closely to notice different cultures in our everyday
lives.
Most of us see many different cultures every day
but we do not realize it.
- Do you have to take your shoes off in the house?
- Can’t you eat dinner in front of the television?
- Do you have to do your own laundry?
- Are you not allowed to curse?
Entering another culture:
The Buddha of Suburbia by Hanif Kureishi
The
Buddha of Suburbia
(1990), written by author Hanif Kureishi, won the Whitbread Award for the best
first novel. It has been translated into 20 languages and was also made into a
four-part drama series by the BBC in 1993,
with a soundtrack by David Bowie.
Kureishi's first novel was the
semi-autobiographical The Buddha of
Suburbia, published in 1990. Karim, the protagonist of the novel, like
Kureishi, has a Pakistani father and an English mother.
The novel, a comic
coming-of-age story and a satirical portrait of race relations in Britain
during the 1970s, describes Karim's struggle for social and sexual identity.
Chapter
1: Karim Amir, seventeen years old, has his
roots in India and England (his mum is English and his
father Indian). He is easily bored and "looking for trouble,
any kind of movement, action and sexual interest" he can find. He is
ready for everything. His little brother is called Allie.
At the end of the day, his father
(Haroon) hands his supper to his mum (Margaret) and starts to practise
his yoga exercises. In contrast to the fit Haroon, Karim´s mother is
a plump and unphysical women with a pale, round face. She is
ashamed of her husband's crazy ideas and begs Karim to draw the
curtain so that she is sure of nobody can watch his yoga training. That
night they have a meeting with Mrs. Eva Kay where Haroon may speak on
one or two aspects of oriental philosophy. However, Margaret does not want to
come with him because, in her opinion, Eva just wants to see Haroon and will
ignore her. To her mind she is much "too English" and
Eva is fascinated by Indian people.
Haroon (KARIMS FATHER)
A typical
Indian in England
As the reader already knows, Haroon Amir
and his close friend Anwar had immigrated into the United Kingdom years ago.
The main reasons were rather personal.
They used the chance of education in a foreign country because they wanted
to live a better life.
Unfortunately both had to face different problems
concerning poverty, racism, discrimination and prejudices.
Therefore the United
Kingdom was not the country they [had] always dreamed of. Instead, it created
other issues that Haroon and Anwar had to cope with.
Problems
which may need[voc: require] immigration or nationality advice
Examples of problems that you [immigrants]
may need advice on are:
getting permission to stay in
the UK longer than you originally intended
getting permission to do
something which you are not at present allowed to do, for example, being
allowed to work
bringing relatives into the
country, for example, a spouse, fiancé(e), children
being threatened with
deportation from the UK
being held by the immigration
authorities in a detention centre
wanting a passport and not
knowing whether you are entitled to a British passport or some other passport
wanting to apply to become a
British citizen
if you are already living in the
UK but wanting to travel (for example, for a holiday), whether you will be
allowed back into the UK
whether you are entitled to use
state services or claim benefits, for example, education, health services,
council housing, social security benefits, housing benefits, council tax
benefit
the right to vote
a relative or friend being refused[voc:
denied] entry into the UK when arriving at an airport or port.
Margaret Amir, Karim's mother
A very shy
and badly treated mother
Magaret Amir, Karim's mother, is a very
shy, hard-working and compliant person. She is plump and an unphysical woman
with a pale round face and kind brown eyes.
She was born in England,
but took over the Indian traditions on the basis of her marriage with
Haroon. At any time, she subdues herself to her whole family, thus she feels
totally exhausted in the evenings and watches TV as she has to do the
whole household. Plus she has a job in a shoe shop to finance Allie`s
school, who wants to become a ballet dancer.
Themes:
father-son relations, punk rock, bisexuality, and class and racial prejudices
in England. The story is told through the eyes of Karim Amir, "an
Englishman born and bred, almost." Karim is a Holden Caulfield-like
character who observes and analyzes the shortcomings of his society as he moves
out of London's suburbs into the larger world.
A bit about Hanif Kureishi´s way of writing:
Kureishi's work often deals with the
concept of home and the problems caused by finding a place to belong to. Also
in his latest novel "The Black Album" he describes a young
Pakistani man, who finds himself in the moral dilemma of choosing either his
white lover or his Muslim friends.
He has won several awards, for example the
George Devine award, the Withbread prize and the Golden Bear. Today he is
married and has three sons.
STING: AN ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK
"Englishman
In New York" - Sting
I don't drink coffee I take tea my dear
I like my toast done on one side
And you can hear it in my accent when I talk
I'm an Englishman in New York
See me walking down Fifth Avenue
A walking cane here at my side
I take it everywhere I walk
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
If, "Maners maketh man" as someone said
Then he's the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
Modesty, propriety can lead to notoriety
You could end up as the only one
Gentleness, sobriety are rare in this society
At night a candle's brighter than the sun
Takes more than combat gear to make a man
Takes more than a license for a gun
Confront your enemies, avoid them when you can
A gentleman will walk but never run
If, "Manners maketh man" as someone said
Then he's the hero of the day
It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile
Be yourself no matter what they say
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
I'm an alien I'm a legal alien
I'm an Englishman in New York
Song Analysis
This song, written by the Sting, is about a man from England who moves
to America, specifically New York. The song talks about the man having to
adjust and the changes he goes through while adapting to a new society.
In the first verse, the writer even says “I don’t drink coffee I take tea
my dear...and you can hear it in my accent when I talk, I’m an Englishman in
New York.” The writer is mentioning how the Englishman is constantly
standing out and recognized for being from England. He even says that he is a
“legal alien”. Aliens are often associated with foreign creatures that are
weird and treated funny, which is the way that the Englishman feels. In
reality, he is looked upon as an immigrant and hates the feeling of
isolation and abandonment he receives. He doesn’t enjoy being treated
like an outsider, even that that’s where he lives and should belong.
He is a new man in a big land and doesn’t feel like its where
he should be with that sense of force against him.
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