Repetition (Engelsk VG1)
What is "Sonnys Lettah" by Linton Kwesi Johnson about?
Antisus-laws in UK. the suslaws gave police the right to stop and search anyone they deemed suspicious. Often abused by police to harass black Brits. Sonny and his brother Jim are stopped and searched while waiting for the bus. Police harasses Jim. Sonny ends up in jail after fighting (and presumably killing) a police officer. Poetry written in Jamaican English with reggae tunes playing in the background (dub poetry).
What is the Magna Carta?
A document that King John's nobles forced him to sign. It extended rights to all citizens and said that the government couldn't raise taxes without a council's approval. It also said not even the monarch was above the law. The laws in UK is based on this and other legal documents
What are residential schools?
A government sanctioned system and policy that involved the removal of indigenous children from their families and placed them into boarding schools were they were assimilated into "white" Canadian society. schools that aggresivley civilize first nations.
How did the UK become a multicultural society?
After WW2, UK started an open door policy because they needed labor to rebuild the country after the war. They invited former colonies to immigrate and work: Jamaica, Indians, Pakistan, Bangladesh, African colonies. This is why there today exists many differents communities for India-british, Italian, Pakistanis across UK, especially in the big cities like London. With every immigration there is a backlash, and more people in UK started becoming skeptical against immigrants. in the 1970s UK joined EU which lead to more immigration: Eastern European immigrants has settled down in UK through EU. And that is perhaps one of the biggest reasons why some people want to leave the EU. Trough BREXIT: British population could to slow down and/or restrict immigration. Some Brits fear that there will be much unemployment and for that the British identity will slowly disappear because of the immigration. And they see that leaving the EU is the only way to regain control of immigration. Some see UK as a melting pot and some see it as a salad bowl.
What is the difference between salad bowl and melting pot?
Both terms used to describe multicultural societies. Salad bowl: each culture is appreciated and recognized, as one thing in the salad bowl. melting pot: every culture melts into one new culture.
What does the term Brexit mean?
Brexit is Britain's exit from the EU. The question about leaving the EU was raised by former PM Cameron in 2013 and a referendums held in 2016, where the leave campaign won by 52%. After the referendum, cameron resigned, and May took over as PM. She called a surprise general election and lost important support in the parliament. She also triggered article 50 which gave the UK two years (not much time) to leave EU. The deal has been very difficult to come trough with because there are so many people against it and it is hard to come up with a deal that suits everyone. eventually people got sick of dealing with it so they became a bit passive about it. Also Johnson has more support in the parliament, ergo its easier for him to get his deal done. Britain eventually left the EU (formally) this january, but will practically still be a part of it till the end of 2020.
What is the difference between formal and informal language?
Context (situation) decides whether to use which one, . if you are talking to your friends it is alright to use informal language, however, when writing an exam, you ought to use formal language. Formal language is neutral, has complete sentences and no abbreviations. Informal has slang, abbreviations, acronyms, neologism.
What are current issues concerning politics in the US?
Coronavirus, dealing with riots (should they send the military for law and order?), impeachment investigation, 2020 presidential election.
What does federalism mean?
Federalism is the system under which the national government and the states share power. USA is a federation.
How can the US be seen as a nation of immigrants?
Four waves of immigration. The first wave of immigrants is called the European wave. It took place in the 1680-1776, where groups such as Germans, Irish and Scots came to the US. The independence war (75-83) of US paused the immigration for a while. The second wave took place in 1820-1890. This wave has its fundament in the idea of the american dream and hope for work in the industry. The idea of the land of opportunity attracted more Europeans, including Norwegians and Irish people. Another factor why they emigrated from Europe is the potato famine in the 1840s. As the US was growing as an industrial nation, there came, in 1890-1930, a new wave of immigrants, mostly from southern and eastern europe. They were hoping for work and can also be related to the American dream. However, when the great depression came in the 1930s the immigration was paused. After world war 2 there came another and a 4th wave of immigrants, which started in 1965 and lasts till today. Today, people immigrate to the US for work and education, mostly hispanics and asians. Many identify themselves as, for instance, German-American or Irish-American, which is referred to as a dual identity. US as a melting pot refers to America as a mix between nations, cultures and languages that have melted into a new breed of people. However, others claim that US is a salad bowl, including all the unique languages, culture and traditions, and the idea that the american identity is oneness and diversity. Illegal immigration is today an issue in the US, and many therefore struggle to identify themselves. This is illustrated in the text "i am an undocumented immigrant". Former president Barack Obama said in a speech that "unless you are a native american, you came from somewhere else". This is a good illustration that shows that US is a nation of immigrants.
How was the contact between indigenous people and the colonizers?
In general: really bad. In specific: First Nation (disease, residential schools, aggressive assimilation, cultural genocide), Native Americans (war, disease, trail of tears, reservations, assimilation) and Aboriginals (disease, reserves, took the children away, the stolen generation)
What is "A Private Experience" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie about?
Is about two women who gets caught up in violent street riots in Kano, Nigeria. They represent different ethnic and religious groups (rivaling groups). Chika: Christian, Igbo. Upper class, educated/med-student. Woman: Muslim, Hausa. Lower-class, works at market. Conflict relates/dates back to British colonization of Nigeria
How did english become a global language?
It all starts with Britain colonizing and ruling almost a quarter of the world at its peak in 1922. From the late 1500s brits had been colonized countries across the world and implementing the english language and culture amongst people. Countries such as Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa have this in common. In late 1700 the industrial revolution started in UK, which made English the language of inventions, science and new technology. Although many countries gradually gained independence, many chose to keep English as their official language for diplomatic reasons. English was neutral, had become the Lingua Franca and many people already spoke it. After WW2 britain lost all their colonies, and there is a powershift from UK to US. US had become a strong economic, military and cultural superpower. They helped many europeans countries rebuild after the war and had military people in many parts of the world. During the cold war US also "defeated" the Soviet Union, and English became the main global language of all technology, science, academic books and so on. The American culture also became huge during this time and regular people watched american television and listened to songs from US. In many ways, you can say that they were at the right place at the right time to spread english as a global language.
What is "the moment" and "Lullaby" about?
Poem and short-story about native americans.
Why do you think a lot of African countries kept English as an official language after they gained their independence?
Practical reason: english had become a common language (lingua franca) in the country and it was easy for people with different languages to speak in english to communicate. Diplomatic reasons: english was a neutral choice, to avoid conflicts when choosing an official language. many different languages, everyone wanted their own. use the example of Nigerian (igbo and hausa) when choosing english it is easier to follow to global news, and communicate with the rest of the world
What is "home" by Warshan Shire about?
Refugee crisis and prejudices against them.
Explain the political system in UK
The UK is a parliamentary democracy, which means that the parliament is elected by the people, the parliament has most of the power, the government is constituted by the parliament. Parliament is divided into three parts: the house of lords, house of commons and the monarch. the prime minister is leader of biggest party in House of commons, which forms the government, who chooses 20 cabinet ministers. the two biggest parties in UK are Labour and conservative party. House of commons are elected by the people and their function is to pass laws, debate issues and challenge the government's work. There are 650 members of the parliament. House of lords has not so much power after the supreme court was established, but they make laws with the house of commons. they are about 800 members divided into three groups: life peers, spiritual peers, elected hereditary peers. The monarchs role is mainly ceremonial. they meet the prime minister once a week to hear what is going on in the parliament and formally agree on the new laws (bills).
Explain the political system in the US
The US is a federation, which means that the power is divided between the central (federal) institutions (white house) and state institutions. they are a republic, and therefore has a president and what we call a constitutional representative democracy which means that the power resides with the people. There are two parties: democratic party and the republican party. The government is divided into three branches: judicial branch (supreme court), legislative branch (congress) and, executive branch (president, vice-president and cabinet). The legislative branch consists of 100 US senators and 435 members of the house of representative, which is better known as the US congress. their main function is to make laws, but also approve federal judges and justices, passing the national budget and declaring war. each state gets two senators and a number of representatives depending on how many people who live in that state. the executive branch is lead by the president and vice-president who are responsible for enforcing the laws the congress sets forth. they work close to the cabinet, who are appointed helpers of the president. the executive branch also appoints government officials, commands the armed forces and meet with leaders of other nations. the judicial branch consists of all the courts in the country and the supreme court. the supreme court determines if federal laws are constitutional. there are 9 justices on the supreme court who are appointed for life.
What is the backstop?
The backstop was an insurance policy negotiated by former Prime Minister Theresa May, to avoid checks along the Irish border. In the event that an alternative arrangement could not be negotiated, the backstop would have kept the UK effectively inside the EU's customs union but with Northern Ireland also conforming to some rules of the single market. Boris Johnson, the new prime minister, removed the backstop after renegotiating the withdrawal agreement and replaced it with a new customs plan.
Explain the checks and balances system
The branches can "check" each other to ensure that they have the same amount of power and are balanced, so that one of them does not have more power than the others. this system has its fundament in that the founding father did not wish to have a tyranny or a government like the one they had been under in britain. Examples of Checks and balance system: - The President can veto any bill from the Congress, however, a ⅔ vote from the Congress can override the veto. - The president can make treaties, but only with ⅔ agreement from the Senate - The president can appoint Supreme Court judges, but the Senate must approve these choices. (ex: Judge Kavanough) - Supreme Court judges have the power to declare presidential actions as unconstitutional. (remember: only when the president is challenged, for instance, sued by a lower court)
What is the stolen generation?
The forced removal of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children from their families was official government policy from 1909 to 1969. The removal was overseen by the Aborigines Protection Board (APB) a government board established in 1909 and had the power to remove children without parental consent and without a court order. Term used to describe how indigenous children in Australia, namely mixed race children, were taken from their parents and relocated in the period from late 1800s to the 1960s.
What does Constitutional monarchy mean?
The monarch has more formal power than political power. more of a tradition and formality. conversation with PM once a week. head of state and commonwealth.
What are some consequences of Brexit?
The northern ireland conflict reignites. the conflict, often referred to as the troubles, between the catholics and protestants, concerns becoming a part of the republic of ireland and staying with the UK. the catholics want to join the republic and the protestants wish to stay. If there is to come a invisible border between the british isles and northern ireland, as a result of brexit, the chances are high for the northern ireland conflict to reignite and perhaps the opportunity will open for reunification with the republic of ireland. Scotland recently had a referendum concerning their independence from UK but chose to stay because of their membership to EU. Scotland is against Brexit and may therefore leave UK when Brexit is done, to reunite with EU. Other possible consequences are an uncertain economy, as they no longer have a backup in the EU. There will most likely be a lack of access to European job market, and more difficult to travel in and out of the UK. Many foreign workers may also have to leave britain, which creates a gap in the job market as, for instance many doctors who work in UK, are not from the UK.
What was the book "Great Gatsby" about?
The roaring 20s, the lifestyle many rich americans lived before the stock market crashed in 1929 which lead to the great depression in the 1930s. dwells around the term of the american dream, can anyone become successful and what does it mean to be successful?
Talk about either the Kings speech or the Green book.
Theme, plot, characters, moral.
What does the term "First past post" mean?
This is the method used for electing MPs to the Parliament. There are 650 seats in the P and 650 voting constitutiencies in UK, which means that each area gets one member chosen. The first one to get the most votes are chosen to be member of parliament from that area. There are general elections every 5 year as usual.
What is Manifest Destiny?
This terms refers to an idea that the American people were destined, or chosen by God, to populate the entire North American continent. They used the idea as an excuse to colonize the landmass from east to west. the 19th-century doctrine or belief that the expansion of the US throughout the American continents was both justified and inevitable.
What is devolution?
Transferring responsibility for policies from the federal government to state and local governments.
Hard Brexit vs Soft Brexit
Wether the UK should leave the EU with deals where they would not have any deals with EU or if they were to keep the free flow of people and trade
What is cultural appropriation?
When cultures adopt an idea or knowledge from another culture to use for their own benefit. Often the dominant, majority culture that adopts and makes fun of, takes advantage of the minority, supordinate culture. Example: the american football team called Washington redskins using that name and native american clothing as mascot. The natives are not happy with that obviously, redskin was in the past a word of abuse for the native americans. In the past, the Jim Crow show was also cultural appropriation. in this show white men painting their face black and made fun of how the blacks behave and dance (as in their culture).
Good Friday Agreement
an agreement to end the conflict in Northern Ireland signed in 1998 by Protestants and Catholics
Why and which accents of English are there in the world?
ex: American English, Oxford English, Spanglish and Patois. The different accents were created because of the impact other languages in that area have had on the english language. this can create pidgin languages, which is a simplified language, and here simplified english. for instance in Jamaica: when they were colonized, a pidgin language was formed to ease the communication and today, many decades after, there are native speakers of the creole created from the pidgin, which is in Jamaica called patois. a creole is a much more developed pidgin language, which includes differences in grammar. for instance do they say "gwah" (get away from here), "dun" (done), "renk" (smell and attitude). There are a lot of differences between american english and british english. for instance: color/colour, cab/taxi and pronunciations differences (horse/hoose) There are a lot of different english accents around the world because they may have english as their official or second language and therefore their mother/first language has an impact on how they pronounce the english words. Because english is the Lingua Franca, many people want to speak and learn english and there will there always exist different accents.
What are Jim Crow laws?
laws that segregate blacks and whites in the southern states of us.
What are "the troubles"?
period of violent clashes between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland. From 1960s to 1990s. Frequent terrorist attacks carried out by militant groups from each side occurred frequently. IRA most well-known terrorist group. Bloody Sunday, 1972: British soldiers killed 14 Catholic protesters. One of the bloodiest encounters between the groups. None of the British soldiers were ever held accountable for the shootings. Irish band U2 wrote the song "Sunday Bloody Sunday" about this incident.
In what way is the initial treatment of Native Americans by British colonizers linked to the way Native American women are treated today? (in-depth study project)
the prejudices of the past is still here. racism and violance. more than 4/5 has experienced violence, and 1/2 has experiences sexual violence. On some reservations, indigenous women are murdered at more than ten times the national average. murder is the third leading cause of death among American Indian. US attorneys declines to prosecute many cases where Native women have been sexually abused
