I am presenting "America" to some Czech students this Monday, but I'm finding it a bit tricky since every region, state, city, person is (or can be) so different.
In some ways I just want to pop in an Anchorman DVD and be like "AMERICA!" just to see what their reactions are haha, but I suppose I should be a LITTLE more accurate ;)
I like how Frank Sinatra sings it in The House I Live In:
What is America to me?
A name, a map, or a flag I see?
A certain word, "democracy"?
What is America to me?
The house I live in, a plot of earth, a street
The grocer and the butcher, and the people that I meet
The children in the playground, the faces that I see
All races and religions, that's America to me
The place I work in, the worker by my side
The little town or city where my people lived and died
The "howdy" and the handshake, the air of feeling free
And the right to speak my mind out, that's America to me
The things I see about me, the big things and the small
The little corner newsstand and the house a mile tall
The wedding in the churchyard, the laughter and the tears
The dream that's been a-growin' for a hundred and fifty years
The town I live in, the street, the house, the room
The pavement of the city, or a garden all in bloom
The church, the school, the clubhouse, the millions lights I see
But especially the people
That's America to me
Hmmm. I'd love to hear your thoughts on what America is to you (or what you consider American):)
Elle,
ReplyDeleteI think you should in fact attempt to present America as individual people rather than a general population. There are a lot of general stereotypes throughout the world about America, and many countries often judge the states based on these said stereotypes. Put politics and "freedom" aside. Talk about the diverse geography that is often ignored (from the Adirondacks to the desert of Utah!) Talk about food. Talk about the change in people, geography, food, etc that you get when you travel from GA to NY to CA.
That's America to me.
:)
Nikki xxx
good idea, nikkita! i might present it as if we're going on a road trip or something :) thanks girl!
ReplyDeleteElle,
ReplyDeleteAmerica to me is the South - its rhythm is inside me. Hot, sweaty, dusty roads that lead to fields filled with southern dreams and streams. As the sun beams down to touch the earth and awaken the honeysuckles, I chuckle with the thought of the South. It's where I've lived with barbecues and fish fries, growin' up hearing' Uncle June Bug tellin' lies. There is a church on every corner - we're known as Bible Belt. Growing up, the belt is what I felt. It helped. Zdenek Sykora, Bible 21
ZDENĚK,
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words. (And you said your English was bad?! haha. Not true!)