The Benefits from Learning British Culture
Benefits from the Introduction to British Culture
史继平 09513414 管理学院辅修1006
Every country has a unique culture. The culture derived from its own geographical features, the races, the religious beliefs of its people, long and rich history of this country and so on. I’d love to learn various cultures of other parts of the world, which are quite different to ours and so charming to me. As students, sometimes we do not have a chance to take a trip to wherever we want to, but fortunately we have the class of UNDERSTANDING THE U.S AND THE U.K this semester, from which I benefit a lot through the book, the rich and lively class times and some other varieties of knowledge recommended by our teacher. I know what I have learned is just the tip of iceberg for the deep and rich British culture, but I would love to share some of my gains and views about it.
I must say, the first knowledge I learned from the class is that the full title of the country is “the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland”. Because, geographically, the United Kingdom consists of Scotland, Wales, England, and the northern part of Ireland statement. While I had thought the whole British is just the England area for so many years, for the first time I touched the English learning world, my teacher told us that the England is a country situated in the northern of Europe and it has a long history...Then I realized that not every part of knowledge from books and teachers is perfectly correct. Our old learning habit, which was restricted only to classes and textbooks, have followed and formatted us for so many years. However, it is time to changing it and learning how to learn a foreign language and its culture. So following our teacher’s suggestion, I searched and consulted something related to the British culture using the internet and library, including legend stories, movies, and videos of travel notes. Through the process of learning British culture, what struck me most was the spirit of leadership and freedom in it.
There were so many great and outstanding leaders through the streams of British history. However, if I have to choose one who I admire best, that must be King Arthur. King Arthur was a legendary British leader of the late 5th and early 6th centuries. According to the legend stories, the new king of British was elected by the sword in stone. And Arthur drew it out of the stone while nobody else could success, which astounded everyone at that time, and then Arthur was accepted as the new king－King Arthur. He, almost a mythic figure, was the head of knights of Round Table, which was big enough for 150 knights. And thanks to the structure of the table, when they had meeting, each position was equal to others and everyone can choose a seat they liked, which was
not only for convenient communication but also a symbol of equality among king and lords. After the Roman Empire crumbled, Arthur led the knights to fight against the Anglo-Saxon invasion, and unified the whole British finally.
Even though King Arthur was just a legend figure in British history and his historical existence is debated and disputed by modern historians, but I would rather believe that no hero stories are without any trace. The Excalibur and the Round Table expresses the inner spirit of Arthur, and if we think further, it is exactly the emblem of British culture: the worship of hero, the desire for life and strength, the pursuit of freedom, the ideals of equality and speech freedom…
Until today, we can clearly feel the strong freedom thoughts in its rich culture when we walk through the country. For example, if you wander in the Hyde Park in London, you will not miss some good and passionate speech in it. Anyone can stand on the stone, which is not very large and specially prepared for public speech, and express his or her opinions about events, literatures, policies and so on freely. If people hearing your speech think it is well-delivered, there must be some cheer and applause. I f someone has different ideas about it, there maybe some debates. Whatever, that is a reflection of British culture. Maybe that is just a small part, but it is always good for people to keep. Just as what I benefit from the class are so plain, compared to the whole British culture, but it is always good for me to learn and understanding some excellent knowledge.