Englisch Abitur

Beliefs, Values and Norms in Western Societies: Tradition and Change

1. The British Way/ Britishness

Geographical and Political Distinctions: - Great Britain -> main island (England, Scotland & Wales)
- The United Kingdom -> England, Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland
- Scotland, Wales & Northern Ireland -> centrally governed by London,
but have all gained rights of self-government
- The Republic of Ireland -> independent but divided

English Cultural Dominance and its Historical Roots:

- England gained dominance over Welsh & Scottish territories ->
cultural diversity
- 16th century: world-wide influence during the Age of Discoveries ->
colonies in North America, India, Australia, South Africa, etc
- British Empire -> included one quarter of the world’s land but lost its
influence as the colonies began to seek independence
- 1776: thirteen northern American colonies formed the United States
 The English and British culture have influenced societies worldwide.

The Issue of Class: - Britain is considered to be a class-conscious society but today this
class system offers chances for social mobility -> people are no longer
bound to the class they were born into
- every class is associated with certain stereotypical traits
- public schools (“private”) <-> state schools

Britain and the EU: - The United Kingdom is a member of the European Union
- Scepticism towards Europe -> they refused the euro as their currency
- strong connection with US foreign policies

2. The American Experience

The Americans had to pay taxes to the motherland although their interests were not presented in parliament.
 “No taxation without representation!”
The famous document, originally written by Thomas Jefferson and signed by representatives of the American
people (“Founding Fathers”), included the following statement:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable Rights, that among Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

The American Constitution: - written in 1787 -> new ideas of a democratic state: form a more
perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, secure
the blessings of liberty, promote the general welfare

The Bill of Rights: - the first 10 amendments (‘Änderungen’) to the American Constitution
- guarantee American’s citizens certain unalienable rights: freedom of
religion, freedom of speech, …

The Puritans, religious values: - the first English settlers were religious outcasts like the Puritans
- the Puritans founded the first settlements in Plymouth and
Massachusetts Bay, New England was like a “New Canaan”

American values and beliefs: - the image as the country of unlimited opportunities
- everyone can turn from “dishwasher to millionaire”, from rags to riches
 these ideals shape the American Dream
 - individualism, self-reliance, opportunity, freedom, community
Ellis Island: - the place where most immigrants first set foot on American soil
- an island of hopes but also of tears: some were sent back to their home
countries <-> for the others the gateway to a new – better – life

The American Dream today: - has come to be seen more critically: the American Dream as an illusion
- American nightmares: the Vietnam War, 11 th of September 2001, …

Manifest Destiny: - this term stands for the belief that America is the one nation ordained
by God to expand across the North American continent
- the American people had been chosen to establish on earth the moral
dignity, the immutable truth and beneficence of God
- America = a country that is superior to all other countries
 American patriotism is deeply rooted in the concept of “Manifest Destiny”.

The US as a World Power:
- the world’s foremost world power since the end of the Cold War
- after WW II: the American ideal of freedom & democracy turned into
an ideology opposing the communist system of the Soviet Union
- the Truman Doctrine (from President Truman) defined US foreign policy
- the key to American foreign policy: promise of freedom & democracy
- but some international interventions can be also seen as mainly
motivated by commercial interests and matters of national security

National Identity and Ethnic/Cultural/Language Differences

1. Post-colonialism and Migration

From Empire to Commonwealth:
- Commonwealth = group of 53 states, the British Queen is the head
- the colonizers influenced the colonies -> bringing new traditions, values
- feeling of displacement and rootlessness on the part of the colonized
- after independence: difficult task of recreating their own identity
- Imperial Act (1914): inhabitants of the colonies got British citizenship

Modern British Multicultural Society:
- the largest immigrant communities: Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis
- ethnic diversity enriches Britain <-> “Britishness” will eventually be lost
- second generation immigrants: have to face discrimination, outside ->
adopt a western lifestyle, at home -> live according to values and
traditions of their parents’ home countries, often they do not speak
their parents’ language any more

Post-colonial Societies: India: - became independent in 1947 (national independence movement

headed by Mahatma Gandhi -> concept of non-violent resistance)
- leaders like Nelson Mandela & Martin Luther King considered Ghandi to
be their inspiration to fight peacefully for racial equality & civil rights
- 16thcentury: British East India Company -> trade with spices, cotton, tea

South Africa: - settled by Dutch and English settlers

- the white minority founded a system of racial segregation (apartheid)
-> no civil rights for the coloured majority
- Nelson Mandela was the leader of the anti-apartheid movement
- 1990: the racist regime slowly came to an end
- 1994: the black majority was able to vote for its own parties

Australia: - gained the rights to self-government in 1901, formally independent in

1931 (the Queen is still head of state)
- most of the original settlers were prisoners (Australia as a penal colony)
 - most of the population is white and of European descent
The Aboriginals/ - difficult to maintain their traditional way of life
The Stolen Generation(s): - they were oppressed and discriminated
- a child removal programme (1880-1960) allowed the abduction of
Aboriginal children from their families -> more than 100,000 were put
under church or social care and raised according to white traditions

2. Short Stories of the Australian Experience

Price Warung, “How Muster-Master Stoneman Earned His Breakfast” (1892)

 In this story, the author presents a sarcastic perspective on the so-called “Convict System”.
Convict Clancy is awaiting his execution because he had stolen a silk handkerchief and killed the sadistic overseer
James Jones. On the day of his execution he has disappeared, leaving the warden killed. But he returns
voluntarily and explained that he only wanted to spit on Jones’ grave. Muster-Master Stoneman punished him
several times. Finally, the executioner Johnson hanged him. After the formalities, Stoneman realized that he has
not yet had breakfast and thought that he has really earned it.

Henry Lawson, “The Drover’s Wife” (1892)

 This short story reflects the dull and monotonous life in the Australian outback in the late 19th century .
For often long periods, a woman and her four young children are living alone on their farm because the father
has to work as a drover. The main outward event is the appearance of a snake. The family and the dog, Alligator,
try to lure the snake out of its hiding place underneath the house’s wooden floor but it doesn’t work. Therefore,
the woman guards her sleeping children from the snake and she starts thinking of the hardships of her life: the
failure of her dreams she had as a girl, the not very close relationship to her husband, the loss of a child, the
threat of men who think that they can take advantage of her, etc. But she finds some support in her relationship
to some Aboriginals. In the end of the story, Alligator gets hold of the snake and the eldest child kills it. He says
that he would never become a drover himself.

Katharine Susannah Prichard, “Marlene” (1938)

 This story deals with sexual relationships between white men and Aboriginal women - a taboo at that time.
The scene is a hillside camp in which “half-castes” are living under bad conditions (shabby clothes, illnesses,
often arrested for petty crimes, fear of being driven away -> they often take refuge in alcohol). They are visited by
Mrs Boyd, the wife of the local landowner, and Miss Allison, an English writer who intends to write a book about
Aboriginals. The social injustices become apparent in the stories of the elderly woman Myrtle Jackson (from
being a housekeeper for white families to being subjected to living in the camp), of Albert (his education has
alienated him from the others, but has also failed to secure him a place in white society) and of the sixteen years
old Mollie. Mrs Boyd is shocked by the fact that Mollie has just had a baby. Mollie doesn’t disclose the name of
the father but is proud of her baby, Marlene. It becomes apparent that the father is Mrs Boyd’s son.

Tim Winton, “Neighbours” (1985)

 The author describes the relationship between member of the white Anglo-Saxon population in Australia and
more recently arrived immigrants.
A newly-wed couple, moved from the suburbs into a neighbourhood of European immigrants. Each side finds it
difficult to understand the other’s way of behavior. A first point of contact is gardening because the neighbours
help the couple and give advices. When the woman gets pregnant, everybody starts taking interest in her well-
being, giving small presents. After the birth of the baby, the man goes outside, finding the neighbours still
waiting and now cheering him. The young man starts to cry.

Archie Weller, “Going Home” (1986)

 This story focuses on the discrimination Aboriginals have to face, even if they try to assimilate into white
mainstream culture.
For his birthday William Jacob (Billy) Woodward wants to visit his Aboriginal family, which he has not seen since
he went to college five years ago. By being discovered as a talented football player he has become socially and
financially successful. Billy adapting the white way of living but has forgotten his roots, and whenever he meet
one of his relatives, he feels ashamed. Driving home, he picks up an Aborigine who knows his family and tells him
that Billy’s father died some years ago. When they stop to buy some beer, the barman’s racist remarks make Billy
realize that it is not his success but only the color of his skin that seems important to the white people and that
he cannot escape his ethnic roots. When he arrives, his brother and his cousin are happy to see him. Billy is
reminded of his youth and feels quite comfortable.
The next morning he is held up by two policemen and accused of having committed a robbery. He tries to protest
his innocence but they don’t believe him. Billy and his brother Carlton get arrested. Carlton says: “Welcome
‘ome, brother”.

3. Minorities in the US
The USA: nation of immigrants, ethnically & culturally mixed, was in need of settlers & workers
 “unity in diversity”
But one main group did not enter the US voluntarily: the deported slaves of Africa
 their descendants form the 2nd largest minority (the number of Hispanic immigrants has exceeded them)

African-American history: - 1619: first ship of African slaves bound for Jamestown, Virginia
- 17th-18th century: the Atlantic slave trade
- 1861 - 65: American Civil War -> caused by the separationist movement of 11
slave states who refused to end slavery; the North fought to prevent secession
of these states and won
- Emancipation Proclamation 1863: President A. Lincoln declared that all slaves
in the secession states (South) were free
- slaves: formally free but were far from having equal rights
- racial segregation remained into the 20th century -> Civil Rights Movement

The Civil Rights Movement:
- 1909: African-American founded the “National Association for the
Advancement of Colored People” (NAACP)
- 1954: the Supreme Court declared the racial segregation of schools to be
unconstitutional
- 1955: Rosa Parks -> bus boycot of thousands of blacks led by Martin Luther
King -> racial segregation of buses declared as unconstitutional
- 50s and 60s: Martin L. King organize further peaceful protests
- 1963: March on Washington -> ca. 300,000 people (about 80% black)
demonstrate for jobs, freedom and an end to racial discrimination
 during this march, M. L. King gave his famous speech “I have a dream”
- the government passed laws to stop racial discrimination & segregation
 the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Act of 1965

Ernest J. Gaines, “A Lesson Before Dying”

Grant Wiggins, a black school teacher, teaches the children living on a plantation and is requested by his aunt,
Tante Lou, to visit Jefferson, an uneducated black who has been imprisoned and is awaiting his execution for a
murder he did not commit. Jefferson’s racist lawyer cannot deploy a convincing defence strategy for Jefferson. He
calls him a “hog”, someone who is unable to plan anything. Jefferson’s grandmother, Miss Emma, wants him to
die as a man with dignity and pride. It’s her idea that Grant should make sure that Jefferson learns his lesson on
this topic and asks Grant’s aunt for help. Grant is not enthusiastic about this idea but there was no escape. So, he
starts visiting Jefferson in his cell but Jefferson just lies on his bunk and refuses to talk. When Grant wants to give
up, it is his girlfriend Vivian Baptiste, who is also a teacher and has two children with a husband she wants to
divorce, encourages him to go.
For Sheriff Guidry and the owner of the plantation, Henri Pichot, Jefferson is just another black criminal. The
Sheriff is only waiting for an opportunity to stop Grant’s visits but allows the visits of Miss Emma, who brings
always food for Jefferson, and Reverend Ambrose in the visitor’s room, because Miss Emma needs a seat. Finally,
Grant convinces Jefferson to cooperate.
Paul Bonin, a white warder of the prison, develops a friendly relationship with Grant and treats the prisoner in a
humane way.
Reverend Ambrose urges the young teacher to consider the necessity of religious guidance and support for
Jefferson but Grant has long given up his Christian faith. Jefferson needs both the preacher and the teacher.
In the course of time, Jefferson and Grant come closer to each other. Jefferson gives up his “hog” behavior and
asks for a radio what connects him to the outside world. Grant also gives him a notepad as a diary, which Paul
Bonin gives Grant after the execution. The Reverend and Paul Bonin are present at the execution. Jefferson goes
to the chair upright. He dies like a man.

The Individual and Society

Roles and Roles Conflicts:
- one does not just have one single identity -> has to fulfill a number of different
roles in different situations & contexts
- a social role: pattern of behavior, rights, obligations -> performed in interaction
with other persons (child – parent; teacher – student)
- the society has expectations (‘Erwartungen’)
 inappropriate behaviour -> punishment
appropriate behaviour -> reward (‘Belohnung’; ‘Anerkennung’)
- conflict: contrasting roles which the individual should take on at the same time

Gender Identity: - a society has certain stereotypical ideas about the behaviour, the appearance,
the skills, etc of a “real” woman and a “real” man
- with the Feminist Movement in the 1960s, the validity of conventional gender
roles was called into question
- the media still present conservative images

Outsiders and Countercultures: - if an individual fails to conform to the rules of his/ her society, he/ she can
become a social outsider
- counterculture: a larger group rejecting the conventional norms
 “hippies”, “punks”, “hip hop” scene

Grandmaster Flash: “The Message” (Song)

- describes life in (black) ghettos: crime, violence, chaos, filth, desolation, poverty -> frustration
- desperation (‘Verzweiflung’) and hopelessness -> nothing the singer does seems to change the conditions he
lives in, which is why he wonders how he “keeps from going under” -> vicious circle (‘Teufelskreis’)
- city = a urban jungle -> uncivilized habitat which is dangerous, wild and archaic (‘veraltet’)
- the regular stanzas (‘Strophen’) describe different people’s lives in the city (the singer’s, a prostitute’s, his
brother’s, his son’s)
- scene in the end of the song: the members of the band are held up by police who take them for a gang and
arrest them -> police injustice and arbitrariness (‘Willkür’) of law enforcement in the ghetto?!

Life in the ghetto:
- big cities in the North of the US always had a tendency towards ghetto
formation due to the different immigrant groups
 New York City: Irish, Italian, German and Jewish quarters
- for black Americans, the city offered ghettos of a different kind
 after the Civil War, many Blacks moved from the rural areas of the
South to the cities of the North (the “Great Migration”); due to their
skin color and their often poor background, they were forced to live in
areas where they could find housing and afford the rent
- forms of discrimination (in social& financial services) led to urban decay
 run-down houses, poor living conditions, high unemployment, etc
Finding Forrester (Film)
Jamal Wallace, a sixteen-year-old African American boy from the Bronx, is not an ambitious student but in a
school test his talent for writing comes to light. Because of that he is offered a scholarship by Mailor Callow, an
excellent prep school. He has to pass a basketball test match and develops a rivalry with the leading player.
Jamal’s relationship with his new teachers, especially with Professor Crawford, is strained (‘angespannt’), too.
Claire Spence, the daughter of the teacher Dr. Spence, shows him around in his first day and befriends him. They
become very close.
One day, when Jamal and his friends are playing basketball they realize that an old man is watching them with
binoculars from behind a window. They bet that Jamal will not dare break into the strange man’s apartment. So,
he climbs into the flat through an open window but the man suddenly appears, frightening Jamal off. In a panic
he leaves, forgetting to take his rucksack with all his writings. The rucksack is returned to him and Jamal discovers
that the old man has marked all his work. Jamal decides to talk to the man personally and it became apparent
that he is William Forrester, a one-book author who won the Pulitzer Prize and who has taken to living in
isolation. But Jamal now visits him frequently and a kind of friendship develops between them, with Forrester
becoming Jamal’s mentor, on condition that Jamal never reveal Forrester’s identity. Jamal’s writing improves
under Forrester’s guidance.
One day, Jamal hands in a paper using the title of one of Forrester’s works and is accused of plagiarism. Professor
Crawford has forgotten his humiliation and seeks revenge. Jamal will lose his scholarship if he cannot prove his
authorship. Forrester doesn’t want to help him because he cannot bear (‘ertragen’) the idea of leaving his
secluded life. To make matters worse, Jamal performs poorly in the most important basketball game of the
season. His dreams, about his sporting and his literary career, seem to shatter. He writes a letter to Forrester but
decides not to pass it on. Jamal’s brother, who finds the letter on the desk, delivers it.
Surprisingly, Forrester suddenly appears in school for a writing contest. He reads out a text which arouses
enthusiasm. Forrester tells the audience that the text was written by Jamal. Accordingly, Jamal is not expelled
and his school education continues.
Forrester returns to Scotland, his native country, where he dies of cancer. He bequeaths (‘hinterlassen’) his
apartment full of books to Jamal.

The Media
1. Forms and Functions

Newspapers: - regularly, inexpensive, affordable for a broad audience

- wide range of up-to-date topics, a certain amount of advertising
- quality express (well-researched information) <-> tabloids (sensational stories
combined with eye-catching headlines and images)

Radio: - an ever growing audience from the 1920s onwards

- the “Golden Age” of radio between the 30s and 50s -> not only music, news
and advertisements, but also shows and radio plays

TV: - first introduced to the general public in the late 1930s

- widely available and popular after World War II
- the number of private channels increased in the last few decades (‘Jahrzehnt’)

The Internet: - enables users to publicize and access information on a global scale
- was made accessible to a broad public in the 1990s
- functions: transmission of information and education, public entertainment,
social contacts (online social networks) independent out of time and place
Advantages: - makes it possible to communicate over long distances in real time
- turning the world into a “Global Village” -> makes it smaller
- easy access to almost every kind of information
Disadvantages: - anybody can publish anything -> the degree of credibility is not always clear
- criminal activities (from the violation of privacy to Internet fraud)
- some countries try to suppress information that collides with their own
ideologies, employing censorship
2. The Influence of the Media on Society
Being the prime source of information, the media can influence a whole society’s opinion about certain topics.
With the help of censorships public opinion can be controlled. Images of violence presented on TV and in
computer games can be responsible for the growth on adolescent violence. In consumer societies
advertisements determine to a high degree what is considered to be a desirable (‘erstrebenswert’) lifestyle.

Advertising: - appellative form of communication -> tries to persuade the recipients

- often criticized for promoting ideal images of people
- with the “new media”, new advertising opportunities opened up for companies
 pop-ups, banners, advergames
- “AIDA” principle: Attention, Interest, Desire, Action

Globalization
1. A Global Market and the World of Work

Economic Challenges: - outsourcing or offshoring of jobs -> lower production costs

- low-wage countries ->“sweatshops”(minimum wages, poor working conditions)
- “global players” (‘weltweit operierende Firma’): important are efficiency, speed,
flexibility and profit -> employees can’t defend their rights
- critics: multinational companies are exploiting the poor and supporting child
labour by only having their own profit in mind
- people in developing countries -> poor conditions, without a decent education
- fair trade is becoming more important -> a fair price for their work & products
- the gap between the rich and the poor is widening

Aspects of the “Global Village”: - the development of airplanes, fast ships & trains has made fast transportation
of goods and people possible
- new means of communication have made collaboration between business
partners & private individuals easier
- multinational companies have branches all over the world

Effects on the way of life:
- anyone can experience the effects of globalization, when
travelling(meeting people from the same town halfway round the globe)
keeping in touch with friends in distant (‘fern’) countries
calling a service “hotline” of a company that uses a call-center in India
- globalization is not always regarded as a positive process:
individual cultures will blend into a single global culture
people in developing countries still suffer from malnutrition or diseases
others work under cruel working conditions
a national financial crisis will affect other nations as well
-> businesses are linked and global trade is the rule
diseases like H1N1 can easily spread all around the world -> pandemic

Global competition:
- the global working world demands new skills of each individual: use of cheap
and well-educated workforces abroad -> people in the industrialized countries
have more competition when looking for work
- to acquire skills & competencies that are very specialized
- to become more flexible and working quickly
- to continue learning throughout one’s whole life -> to keep up with new techn.
- to be able to compete with workers from all around the world who can offer
the same or similar skills for maybe lower wages
Thomas L. Friedman: “The World is Flat”
This report deals with the current phrase of globalization, which Th. Friedman calls “Globalization 3.0”.
He differentiates three phases of globalization:
“Globalization 1.0”  from Columbus’s discovery of America until 1800; (European) countries discovered large
parts of the world and established settlements and colonies; a time during which “going
global” was headed by nations seeking power and resources
“Globalization 2.0”  from the early 19th century until 2000, the period of the Industrial Revolution and its
later global spread, which was no longer dominated by nations but by companies; one
“went global” through business
“Globalization 3.0”  from 2000 on; the period after the emergence of interactive global networks that allow
users to access and deploy information globally; globalization is now driven by
individuals and small groups offering their services via these networks; the main shift, as
Friedman sees it, is that today individuals are “going global” and making use of world
markets; whilst the first two phases were dominated by white westerners, the current
era will be open to (and used by) people of every color
The economic “playing field is being leveled” by the growing number of services and production processes being
outsourced. Anyone with the required knowledge, know-how, hardware and an ingenious business plan can
access this playing field. Besides, there are educated workers and programmers in developing countries such as
India who will work for a fraction of western salaries.
Friedman describes these developments using many anecdotes and examples of businesses being outsourced:
 American accountants (‘Buchhalter’) have taken to outsourcing the basic calculations of their clients’ tax
reports to India while they focus on the more complex client contacts and financial investment advice – Indian
service agencies fill out the tax forms according to US state standards and process the data anonymously.
 At nights and weekends, when radiology departments are often short-staffed, some US hospitals have started
to use the Internet to send patient X-rays to Indian radiologists, who will analyze them and send them back.

Friedman goes on to outline ten main “flatteners” – events and developments that have created the basis for this
new global playing field:
1. 9th of Nov. 1989 -> The fall of the Berlin Wall, the end of the Cold War, the emergence of the computer
system “Windows”: leveled the view of the world because the isolated communist
states were now accessible; new computer software allowed users to interact.
2. 9th of Aug. 1995 -> The emergence of the “Netscape” browser: this development triggered a massive
investment in fiber-optic cables that would connect the entire world.
3. Work Flow -> The establishment of standards for software programs made it possible not only to
Software communicate better, but also to improve their cooperation by using connectable
software – Friedman calls this the “genesis moment” of the flattening of the world.
4. Uploading -> The possibility not only to download information but also to upload one’s own
innovations and software enabled people to collaborate on the development of cost-free
programs; it also opened the news market to individuals -> sites like Wikipedia have
revolutionized the way knowledge and information are created and shared.
5. Outsourcing -> Multinationals, small companies and today even individuals distribute certain production
or commercial services to people in low-cost areas.
6. Offshoring -> Companies not only outsource parts of their workload but move entire production sites
overseas in order to save costs.
7. Supply-Chaining -> The logistics of corporation which do not produce anything but supply the logistic chain
for producers to sell their products; essentially this movement of goods from A to B
changes the way companies and countries cooperate.
8. Insourcing -> Producing companies do not handle the selling, repairing and delivering processes
themselves, but distribute supply-chain procedures to delivering companies which not
only deliver products but also take orders, and sell, repair and deliver these products;
this creates the need for additional standards and levels the differences between firms.
9. Informing -> The Internet enables every individual to obtain information on any topic.
10. The Steroids -> Wireless technologies, all-in-one tools like the new generations of mobile phones enable
people to access these new sources of information and participate in networks from
almost any point in the world; access itself has become mobile.
Collaboration & standardization are the key concepts making the world “flat” -> the differences between
countries and continents become less and less important. Example: A cheeseburger bought at McDonald’s in
India will taste exactly the same as one bought in Berlin, simply because the company has standardized not only
the way it is made but also the ingredients it uses.
Competition will become increasingly global, and knowledge and information differences will disappear, making
the individual no longer a national but a global citizen.

2. Global Politics – The UN and the EU

The UN: - October 24, 1945: 51 countries founded the United Nations (UN)
- the UN has today 192 member states
- it defends human rights & fundamental freedoms

Aims of the UN: - international peacekeeping and peacemaking operations + peace-building

- to promote friendly relations between member countries
- to support international cooperation
- humanitarian aid

The EU: - currently 27 states

- after World War II there was a desire for a united Europe in order to prevent
extreme forms of nationalism
- the individual member states came to be regarded as a single global player

Aims of the EU: - to promote prosperity (‘Wohlstand’) and social progress (‘Fortschrit’) with
European citizenship for its peoples while still keeping their diversity alive
- to promote friendly relations between member countries
- to guarantee freedom & justice as well as respecting human rights
- the individual countries are sovereign, however, there is military cooperation

Terrorism: - Terrorism has become a global threat (‘Bedrohung’)

- Ex.: 11th Sep 2001: New York City – attack on the World Trade Center
7th July 2005: London – three bombs explode on underground trains

Global Ecological Challenges and the Role of the Customer:

- global ecological challenges as the greenhouse effect
- environmental pollution is growing globally
 waste gases from factories
increasing number of vehicles
travelling by plane is also greater than ever -> short-haul flights
food miles: more goods are transported by plane
everyone leaves a carbon footprint either directly or indirectly
greenhouse gases -> chemical damage to the atmosphere & global
warming
Science and Technology
1. Chances and Risks
Since the Industrial Revolution, western societies have been in constantly growing need of energy resources to
power industrial production and satisfy household requirements for fuel and electricity. This increasing demand
for energy has led to various developments:

Non-renewable and/versus
Renewable energy:
- exploitation (‘Abbau’) of natural ressources -> destruction of natural habitats
- use of nuclear power plants -> safe, cheap & climate-friendly source of power
- new inventions -> making use of renewable energies (wind, water, solar power)
- result of the use of fossil fuels: the amount (‘Menge’) of carbon dioxide and
other pollutants emitted into the atmosphere
Environmental sustainability: - Industrialization & a growing world population have led to a massive
exploitation of limited resources -> the sustainability of natural resources &
natural habitats is one of the most important global ecological challenges
- unwise use of water resources, deforestation (“slash-and-burn farming”)
- international treaties like the Kyoto Protocol are often not signed by all the
nations concerned
 The world’s climate is changing. This change manifests itself in the fact that the global average temperature
(‘Durchschnitstemperatur’) is rising, and this has many side effects.

Al Gore: “An Inconvenient Truth” (Film, 2006)

This documentary depicts the ecological campaign launched by former US Vice-President and presidential
candidate Al Gore. In numerous presentations around the world, he is explaining not only the climate change
actually taking place, but its causes and moral implications (‘Verwicklung’). The film documents these
presentaions and the biography of the speaker, who has fought on these issues throughout his political career. Al
Gore’s aim is to educate and move people to take action on climate change. The main causes and effects are
summarized below:
Causes of global warming  1. Fossil fuel emissions, so called greenhouse gases, form a layer (‘Schicht’) in the
atmosphere which traps the sun’s heat and thereby causes the temperature on
the ground to rise -> “global warming”.
2. The quantity of greenhouse gases produced worldwide is rising because of
more cars, planes and industry/ forests are burnt/ growth in the number of
cattle is increasing the emission of methane.
3. The polar ice caps are melting, diminishing their efficiency as a cooling device
and mirror to reflect sunbeams -> speeding up the heating process.
Effects and consequences  1. Rising global temperatures are causing more water to evaporate
(‘verdunsten’), changing historical patterns of rainfall and drought
-> irregular weather phenomena.
2. Oceanic warming is causing hurricanes to become more frequent and violent.
3. Changes in temperature also cause natural habitats to change -> plants and
animals have to adapt or die out.
4. If the polar ice caps were to melt completely a large part of the landmass
would be flooded, leaving millions homeless.
Each individual can participate in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by using better insulation in houses, saving
electricity, recycling waste, using public transportation, flying only when absolutely necessary, etc.

International Efforts to Stop Climate Change – the Kyoto Protocol:

- aimed to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases by an annual 5.2% by 2012
- national limits were agreed
- 2008: China had become the world’s biggest emitter of greenhouse gases
- the USA signed but did not ratify it
- 2007: leaders of the developed countries reached the decision to cut global
CO2 emissions by at least 50%
- “Thinking global and acting local.”

William Shakespeare
1. The World that Made Him: The Elizabethan Age
The Elizabethan Age: named after Queen Elizabeth I, crowned 1558, died 1603 (reign of 45 years)

Politics and economics: - England emerged as a world power

- international trade -> the rise of capitalism
- strongest naval force (‘Seemacht’)
- internal problems: clash between Catholics & Protestants: establishment of a
Protestant Church with Elizabeth as head of the Church of England
Culture: - The Golden Age: • freedom of spirit -> imagination (‘Vorstellungskraft’)
• domestic study of the Bible, widely read and heard
• cultural flowering: theatre, music, poetry, art,
architecture
• Writers: W. Shakespeare, Christopher Marlowe
- negative aspects: • harsh criminal laws -> whipping & hanging
• illiteracy (‘Analphabetismus’)
• no rights for women
- positive aspects: • public provision for the poor -> few (‘wenige’) beggars

The Great Chain of Being (The Elizabethan World Picture):

- vertical chain, hierarchically ordered -> universal order
- every creation has a link in the chain -> almost infinite (‘unendlich’) chain
- place in the chain determined by the relative proportion of spirit an matter
- the more spirit the higher the place in the chain

God
Angels
Man
Existence, life, feeling and understanding
-> the microcosm
Higher animals
(having touch, memory, movement and hearing)
Animals like ants
(having touch, memory, movement)
Animals like shellfish
(having touch)
Plants
Existence and life
Vegetable class
Elements, liquids, metals
Mere existence
Inanimate class
The hierarchical order also applies within the classes: Water is nobler than earth/ Gold is nobler than silver/ the
oak is nobler than the bramble/ the lion is nobler than the dog.

Elizabethan Theatre: - were situated outside the city

- offered performances every day
- presented plays, dances and music (were also used for bear baiting)
- were attended by people from all social ranks
- there was no lightning or special sound effects
- Women’s roles were played by men
- the audience could smoke, eat and drink
 Imagination depended totally on the language used in the play.

Common complaints about - disorderly and corrupts young people

the theatre: - led to evil and immoral (“ungodly”) character and behaviour
- stage stories were morally uncontrolled and primitive, not religiously inspiring
- led to lewdness (‘unzüchtiges Verhalten’)
- kept people away from work and prayer

Elizabethan Poetry -> Sonnets:

The Italian sonnet: quatrain (abba), quatrain (abba) TURN tercet (cde), tercet (cde)
 addressed to a beloved person, 14 lines, clearly defined rhyme scheme, divided into an octet and a sestet,
turn after the octave (a shift in thought or feeling)
The English (Shakespearean) sonnet: quatrain (abab), quatrain (cdcd), quatrain (efef) TURN couplet (gg)
 the couplet is a conclusion or a summary, the traditional turn can still be after the octave, main themes: love,
beauty, transience (‘Vergänglichkeit’), old age, death

2. Shakespeare’s Plays
By 1592 William Shakpespeare had managed to establish his reputation (‘Ruf’) as a playwright in London. Due to
his success (‘Erfolg’), other writers envied him. A remarkable feature (‘Kennzeichen’) of his time is the non-
existing of copyright regulations. Shakespeare himself was engaged in this process of “play-doctoring”, modifying
(‘verändern’) existing plays for his acting company. As a consequence, his authorship of a number of plays has
been questioned. From about 1595, Shakespeare no longer cooperated with other authors and became the
respected playwright with the reputation he has had until today.
The fascination of his plays has not been lost over the four centuries. It can at least partly be attributed to the
universal appeal of the topics he deals with: Love, happiness, envy, jealousy, humour, treachery (‘Verrat’).
His opus can be broadly divided into four periods:
Period 1 (1590-1595)  shows his literary genius; the style and imagery of the plays are rather simple; he
does use rhyme; there is a lot of prose; time of experimentation with the genre
Period 2 (1595-1600)  marked by improved characterization and style; he wrote some of his best
comedies and historical plays; he wrote his sonnets
Period 3 (1600-1608)  most important period: he wrote great tragedies like “Hamlet” and so-called
problem plays (also known as “bitter comedies”)
Period 4 (1608-1613)  he wrote his romances: deal with the topic of losing and regaining happiness; the
plots are rather melodramatic but they also display an idyllic atmosphere

Some of Shakespeare’s Dramatic Works:

Comedies Tragedies History Plays

A Midsummer Night’s Dream Romeo and Juliet Henry VI
A Winter’s Tale Hamlet King John
Two Gentlemen of Verona Othello Richard II
Measure for Measure Macbeth Henry IV
As You Like It Julius Caesar Henry V

3. Shakespeare’s Language
In order to achieve a combined dramatic and artistic effect, he employed blan verse, which is a fixed rhythmical
pattern (‘Muster’) of iambic pentameters. He made sure that this metrical scheme did not disturb natural speech
rhythms. Especially for the less serious or comic characters, Shakespeare used prose, whereas verse is spoken by
the noble ones.
It should be kept in mind that he never intended his plays to be read as books; they were to be performed on
stage. This is where the beauty of their language is most evident.

Shakespeare Modern English

Thou You (used for children, subordinates, friends)
Ye, you You (plural); form showing respect
Thee You (object form)
Thy, thine Your (determiner), your (determiner) before vowels
Mine My (determiner) before vowels
Doth, hath Does, has
Thou canst, thou wilt You can, you will
I have writ I have written
I would I wish
You know not You don’t know
Why call you…? Why do you call…?
The guests are come. The guests have come.