Notizen für das Englisch-Abi 2013. USA, Britain and Canada

Q1: USA (American Dream, living together, political issues, one-track-mind, values)

American History:

1492 Columbus „discovers“ America

1620 The Mayflower arrives at Plymouth (Mass.)

Pilgrims (Puritan)

Compact

They get help from the natives (about plants etc.) who had immigrated from Asia and lived in tribes

African slaves are brought to America and have to work on plantations

Horrible conditions

Ensure economic success

The three cultures start to mix (clash)

N America starts to trade with the English

Many taxes -> Boston tea party 1773

-> War of Independence 1775 (Declaration 1776 + Bill of Rights)

-> Revolution: Human and civil rights

The (white) men are free, but Blacks (slaves), women and children still depend on them and have no rights

The early settlers move westwards and chase the natives away brutally/ some are even taken to reservations -> Trail of Tears (fear of uprisings)

The number of slave auctions increases

North (trading, A. Lincoln- president 1860) vs. South (agrar & Slaves)

Civil War 1861-1875

The Confederates (11 Southern states) surrender in the end

600.000 men died

Slavery is abolished by Lincoln (shot!), but there are still prejudices against them- even today

The American Dream (Manifest destiny!!!) makes the USA to the superior nation it is today

Witch Trials:

Charge

Imprisonment

Interrogation (even under tortures)

Witch tests (water, fire, needle, weighing)

Confession

questioning about other “witches”

Condemnation

execution (burning)

Puritans:

- strict Calvinists
- The humans are naturally spoiled but can be redeemed by God
- the bible is very important
- renunciation of secular things
- the Devil “rules” on the earth
- great value on kids, education diligence
- self-denying, hypocritical and unforgiving form of the moralism
-Want to purify the Christian beliefs
-Zeal
-Piety
-destiny

Mayflower:

Puritans (England): persecution-> Netherlands (Levden)

*Children cannot be educated well enough

-> Mayflower 1620 (ca.100 people)

-aim: Virginia with King James´ allowance

- but they land at Cape Cod (Mass.)

->still on board: agreement among themselves: prevent disloyalty, illegal activities

- After disembarking. Ask for a charter from King James ->he denies it

Mayflower Compact (!): between King and people

Aims: to represent the Glory of God, advancement of Christian Faith, honour of the King and Britain, to build a civil body/politics

Equal laws (constitution)

To promise due to submission and obedience

“Compact” (Rousseau): Contract between people and the ruler (Le Contrat social)

Facts:

Population 0ver 250 million people

50 states

President

Health care is more or less private

Strong economy

High rate of privatization

Active fighting role in the wars

Democratic system of government

Cultural diversity, history of immigration

Strong national identity

Efficiency problems

American Dream:

Freedom

Unity of nation

Uniquess

Chosen by God

Independence

Settlement, conflict with the Natives, gaining superiority in the world

Equality

Justice

Faith

Possibility to achieve anything you want

Superiority

Courage

Self-confidence

Hope

God-trust

Landscape

History

Self-governance

Individual rights

Liberty

Pursuit of happiness

Constitution

Friendliness

Individualism

America as a welcoming haven

Mobility, optimism and flexibility

Patriotism

Hard work, from rags to riches

Patriotism

Progress

The concept of the American dream—that this country is the land of opportunity, and that anyone can achieve success through hard work—has given hope to people born without privilege, and it's one of the main reasons people come to the United States from throughout the world.

The early settlers in America hoped for a better life than

the one they had left behind in Europe. Their main reasons

for leaving Europe were religious persecution, political

oppression and poverty. They dreamt:

- the personal dream of freedom, self-fulfillment, dignity and happiness,
- the economic dream of prosperity and success, the dream of rising from poverty to fame and fortune i.e. from rags to riches,
- the social dream of equality (of opportunity) and a classless society,
- the religious dream of religious freedom in a “promised land” in which they were God’s chosen people,
- the political dream of democracy.

This American Dream is reflected in basic beliefs and

values. In spite of America’s regional and cultural diversity, these give the nation its character and are still shared by most Americans today.

Death of a Salesman:

Arthur Miller

Play

1949

Summary:

Willy Loman returns home exhausted after a cancelled business trip. Worried over Willy's state of mind and recent car "crash," his wife Linda suggests that he ask his boss Howard Wagner to allow him to work in his home city so he will not have to travel. Willy complains to Linda that their son, Biff, has yet to make good on his life. Despite Biff's promise as an athlete in high school, he flunked senior year math and never went to college.Biff and his brother, Happy, who is also visiting, reminisce about their childhood together. They discuss their father's mental degeneration, which they have witnessed by his constant vacillations and talking to himself. When Willy walks in, angry that the two boys have never amounted to anything, Biff and Happy tell Willy that Biff plans to make a business proposition the next day in an effort to pacify their father.The next day, Willy goes to ask his boss for a job in town while Biff goes to make a business proposition, but neither is successful. Willy gets angry and ends up getting fired when the boss tells him he needs a rest and can no longer represent the company. Biff waits hours to see a former employer who does not remember him and turns him down. Biff impulsively steals a fountain pen. Willy then goes to the office of his neighbor Charley, where he runs into Charley's son Bernard (now a successful lawyer); Bernard tells him that Biff originally wanted to do well in summer school, but something happened in Boston when Biff went to visit Willy that changed his mind.Happy, Biff, and Willy meet for dinner at a restaurant, but Willy refuses to hear bad news from Biff. Happy tries to get Biff to lie to their father. Biff tries to tell him what happened as Willy gets angry and slips into a flashback of what happened in Boston the day Biff came to see him. Willy had been in a hotel on a sales trip with a young woman when Biff arrived. From that moment, Biff's view of his father changed and set Biff adrift.Biff leaves the restaurant in frustration, followed by Happy and two girls that Happy has picked up. They leave a confused and upset Willy behind in the restaurant. When they later return home, their mother angrily confronts them for abandoning their father while Willy remains talking to himself outside. Biff goes outside to try to reconcile with Willy. The discussion quickly escalates into another argument, at which point Biff forcefully tries to convey to his father that he is not meant for anything great, that he is simply ordinary, insisting that they both are. The feud culminates with Biff hugging Willy and crying as he tries to get him to let go of the unrealistic dreams he still carries for Biff and wants instead for Willy to accept him for who he really is. He tells his father he loves him.Rather than listen to what Biff actually says, Willy realizes his son has forgiven him and thinks Biff will now pursue a career as a businessman. Willy kills himself, intentionally crashing his car so that Biff can use the life insurance money to start his business. However, at the funeral Biff retains his belief that he does not want to become a businessman. Happy, on the other hand, chooses to follow in his father's footsteps.

Characters:

Willy Loman (Salesman)

Linda (wife)

Biff (elder son)

Happy (son)

Charley (neighbor, friend)

Bernard (his son, also friend)

Uncle Ben (Willy´s brother, idol)

Style:

Shifts in time (memories of past happenings)

Repetitions

Imaginings

Interior monologues (stream of consciousness)

Symbols (stockings, diamonds, rubber hose, seeds)

Themes: American Dream

Betrayal

Abandonment

Father/ son conflicts

Modernity

Madness

Regret

Life-lies

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