An Intercultural Comparison Between Chinese Essay Example for Free

An Intercultural Comparison Between Chinese Essay An intercultural comparison between Chinese and foreign humor Summary: Humor is  a wonderful work  of human civilization  and wisdom, she smiled as a bridge, bond people in different culture, and made people recognizing the power of the humor in their normal communication. This paper  will trace the  historical origins of  humor. From the humorous discourse features, themes, social functions, performance practices and seize of the  subtle to start  the  similarities and differences between Chinese and Western humor. Humor is  a wonderful work  of human civilization  and wisdom, she smiled as a bridge, bond people in different culture, and made people recognizing the power of the humor in their normal communication. 1. Origins and scopes of humor Humor  comes from the  Latin  word ‘humor’, it  is an  ancient Greek physiology term refers to the ‘fluid’. Greek physician Hippocrates believed that the human  health and  temperament  of different  types of  four kinds of  body  fluids  on  the mixing ratio. Temperament  theory  in ancient Greece, medieval and Renaissance  have a great impact. Thus, humor  is  the original meaning of four kinds of body fluids determined by  the proportion of the human mind, body, customary tendency, temperament, or  temporary  mental and emotions. The first of the humor into the field of aesthetics  is a famous British  dramatist, Ben Jones,  gradually  dilute the  meaning of humor physiology, aesthetics increasingly in-depth  the study  of  humor. Late in the 17th century, humor began to have the modern meaning; In the 18th century, humor  for the  aesthetic features  of  drama,  fiction, poetry,  prose and writing style with humor  for the  writers and artists  have been common. Such as in : Sunday school teacher: Hands up all those who want to go to heaven? Hands up †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ What about ou Terry? You haven’t got your hand up-don’t you want to go to heaven? Terry: Sorry, I can’t. Mum told me to go straight home. The  suspense  in  the beginning  of the first  discourse,  two,  third and  fourth inningdirect rendering. The  little boy’s ‘Sorry, I can’t. ’ is  a  reversal,  the last  one  is  a  hilarious  mutations. Cultural context  is an abstract,  general concept, an abstraction  form  in people’s everyday  social life. Because  discourse  is a communicative form,  while the  communication  is  carried out  in  certain situations, therefore, discourse analysis  must consider  its contents, participants in  communicative activities,  speech,  media  and other factors. In addition,  there is also a  certain  discourse  of environmental  factors, such as context, Marlinowski called it ‘Situational context’. Halliday thinks, from the  language  point of view  the use of  situational context  the most important three factors are:  language field,  the tone  and manner. Language field  is  corrected  in the event of  things;  tone  is  who is  communicative, their basic  conditions, characteristics, status  roles,  role relationships  between participants;  manner  refers to the language  in  the role of  communication, including communication  channels and modified way. From the above  humorous  point of view,  the language field  is  the scene ask questions in class;  communication of both  the teachers  and students; both  in communication  is the  unequal  status of  the teacher  is  the speaker, students aresubject to  speaker. Students  response should be to  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœsupport’ or  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœfight against’. The  confrontation  is  the beginning of  reversal,  which produce  humor. Communicative  role of the conversion  from the  point of view, discourse  is the speaker  and  the recipient  as a  center of  rotation. 3. Cross-cultural  comparison  of  Chinese and foreign  humor 3. 1 Themes Humor  is mankinds  an aesthetic  pursuit,  is  a reflection of  real life, first in  its  themes and  content  reflect  the unique  customs  of the  ethnic,  social and cultural. By traditional  Chinese  Confucianism  deeply rooted  that people  talk about sex  pale, therefore,  traditional Eastern humor neutral topic is taboo. The  humor  in  the West accounted for  a large proportion  of these  topics. 3. 2 Social functions Classified  according to their  social function  of humor as: negative humor(Deny  the shortcomings  of  life  and  negative  phenomena), positive humor(Affirm the  advantages  in life  and positive  phenomenon)  and pure humor(Does not  contain  affirm  and  negative,  just  full of  fun  to everyday phenomena  of  reflection). Europe and the United  States  purely  for entertainment  humor  in  a significant proportion of  the pure  humor,  this is  the time when  humor  from  the bud  will form  adistinctive  feature. The Chinese  sense of humor  seems to  bear  a heavier  historical mission – skewer the current ills. Throughout  hundreds of popular since the traditional dialogue  segment,  the vast majority of  satire  piece. 3. 3 Performance practices National characteristics  of humor  in  artistic  expression  on the  subject matter as  far as  clarity. It  is often  rooted in  long-standing  cultural traditions of a nation  and psychological quality,  the performance  is very subtle, delicate. China  has always been  deliberately seeking  humor  in the end,  the  taste  of the progressive  layers. Most indicative of  the Chinese  culture  of  humor  in the form  of humor  than the  comic. Crosstalk  of the  four  aspects of  the structure  corresponding to  the  four parts  of humor. Comic  from start to finish  with multiple  suspenses,  so that  the audience  is always  with interest, from the  tension  eased  to meet  expectations, and then  across  to the new expectations and new  meet. The  European and American  humor  often only one  piece  of suspense, comedy  to be more  suspense,  but because of  the integrity of  comedy,  the plot  of  coherence nd requirements, restrictions on  the use of  a lot of suspense. Crosstalk  is not,  although it  has some  plot lines, but not sticking to  the plot  needs the opportunity to  abandon the use of  suspense. On the contrary,  sometimes  to  the medium of  suspense, clever plot jumps from one to another with no ass ociated plot. 3. 4 Seize of subtle Subtle  sense of humor  is the  worlds nations   common feature. Each nations sense of humor  by  their historical  and cultural  tradition,  in the long-term artistic practice  in the  form  of  subtle style, extent  and methods vary. From the  perspective  of contemporary  humor  writing, in the  subtle  nature of  the pursuit, China  and Western countries  along two  different directions. Overall,  the humor  works of  Western-oriented  and  strive to concise of implicit, philosophy  combine  to make  more  room for  humor  after taste. The Chinese contemporary  humor,  its ability to  master the  subtle  and bright scales. 4. Summary Western countries,  Chinas  humor and  humor  in their  culture,  nurtured by  the soil  to form  a  different style. Through this  cross-cultural comparison, our  team  has  a better understanding of  world culture,  to accelerate  the pace of  China into the  world.

Dilemmas in Assessment of Student Writing :: English Writing Teacher Student

Being a new teacher of English, I find the assessment of compositions to be a concept I question and struggle with on a regular basis. Having consulted several colleagues, mentors, administrators, and fellow graduate students, I have come to the conclusion that there is no easy answer to this tedious yet ever important question. While there are many inlets and outlets to this dilemma, for the sake of time I will touch on only three. While all three are very different in terms of concepts, rituals, and conducts, they all come together to one common goal - helping students express themselves in terms of writing. Subjectivity While assessment can give students, parents, and administrators a view of where a student stands in terms of achievement, one must always remember that the grade is subjective. There is no right or wrong answer in English, as there is in math or other quantitative areas of study. The basis of â€Å"a grade† depends upon a student’s ability to choose a course of thought and convey it accurately and convincingly in written form. The subjectivity falls in how the teacher interprets or responds to the ideas and supporting information. For example, during my first venture as a student teacher, I was given the task of grading â€Å"free choice† essays. The students were given free range of the subject matter, and were told to write an insightful and poignant essay on the topic of their choice. After grading the papers, my mentor sat with me and we discussed some of the grades I had given for several of the students’ papers. Upon glancing briefly at the comments I had made and the grades I had given, my mentor began asking direct questions as to why I would grade certain papers one way, but would assign a different grade to others that were quite similar. As she went on to read through other papers, she would agree with some of my grades, but strongly disagree with others. I found this interesting because, while we were both reading the same essays, we were focusing on different points or concepts, which shaded our perception of the piece as a whole. In retrospect, I believe that afternoon spent rereading essays with my mentor was one of the best teaching practices that I have come across. Once in a while, teachers needed to refocus their grading instincts by, in effect, orally defending their stance on grading policies.

Civility vs. Savagery

In William Golding’s novel â€Å"Lord of the Flies,† civility, which is associated with morality and goodness, and savagery, associated with evil and corruptness, are constantly at war. The conflict between the novel’s main protagonist and antagonist, Ralph and Jack, represents the broader struggle of these two ideas. Civility and savagery are further represented through recurring symbols throughout the novel. Lastly, these conflicting ideas present themselves in internal battles within the characters.Through external conflicts, symbolism, and internal struggles, the war between savagery and civility appears constantly throughout the novel. Ralph and Jack’s power struggle correlates with the battle between savagery and civility. From the novel’s beginning, Ralph’s main priority is to maintain the fire so the boys can be rescued. He says, â€Å"If a ship comes near the island they may not notice us. So we must make smoke on top of the mountai n. We must make a fire†(38). Ralph’s leadership and desire to return to society represent civility.However, as the boys continue to be trapped on the island, Jack’s violent tendencies begin to emerge. â€Å"He tried to convey the compulsion to track down and kill that was swallowing him up†(51). Without adults and the laws of civilization repressing it, Jack’s savage nature becomes apparent. Jack and Ralph eventually clash over their contradicting ideas of leadership. Ralph shouts â€Å"Which is better, law and rescue, or hunting and breaking things up? †(180). As the boys’ fears increase, and their hopes of being rescued diminish, they turn to Jack for leadership, and civilization is no longer able to coexist with savagery on the island.The conflict between Ralph and Jack provides a concrete perspective on the overall struggle between civility and savagery. There are multiple symbols in the novel that embody certain aspects of civiliz ation and savagery. Order and unity are epitomized by the conch shell. The shell originally had a powerful influence over the boys, but its power diminishes as the boys become increasingly barbaric, and it is eventually lost forever. â€Å"†¦ the conch exploded into a thousand white fragments and ceased to exist†(181).The shattering of the conch shell represents the loss of order on the island. Another important symbol is the face paint worn by Jack, and later the rest of his tribe, which helps draw out their savage nature. â€Å"He capered toward Bill, and the mask was a thing on its own, behind which Jack hid, liberated from shame and self-consciousness†(64). The mask created by the paint is a form of escapism for Jack; it allows him to free himself of the proper boy he once was in civilization, and let his barbaric impulses take control.One last important symbol is the signal fire, which serves as the boys’ only connection to the civilized world. Ralph s tates â€Å"The fire is the most important thing on the island. How can we ever be rescued except by luck, if we don’t keep a fire going? †(80). As the boys become increasingly savage, they forget the importance of the signal fire and rescue, which signifies their isolation from civilization. Throughout the novel, the use of symbolism is significant in representing the progression of civility and savagery.The internal conflict between civility and savagery presents itself in varying degrees within the characters. Roger is a complete savage, who enjoys inflicting pain on others, but his savagery is still partially contained by the rules of civilization. â€Å"Yet there was a space round Henry, perhaps six yards in diameter, into which he dare not throw. Here, invisible yet strong, was the taboo of the old life. Round the squatting child was the protection of parents and school and policemen and the law. Roger’s arm was conditioned by a civilization that knew not hing of him and was in ruins†(62).Although he has a true savage nature, Roger’s barbaric instincts conflict with the laws of civilization that he was once so accustomed to living by. On the contrary, Simon is a naturally good character who is aware of the savageness existing inside the boys. In a hallucination, the Lord of the Flies says to him â€Å"You knew, didn’t you? I’m part of you? †(143). Simon fears that he and the rest of the boys will eventually become corrupted by the evilness of man’s heart. When performing a ritual dance during a thunderstorm, Piggy and Ralph get caught up in the excitement of the other boys. Piggy and Ralph, under the threat of the sky, found themselves eager to take a place in this demented but partly secure society. They were glad to touch the brown backs of the fence that hemmed in the terror and made it governable†(152). Although Ralph and Piggy are the two characters who maintain their civility the m ost, even they possess savage emotions that can be awakened. The internal turmoil inside the characters proves that even when raised in civilization, savagery exists inside everyone.Throughout the entirety of the novel, civility and savagery are locked in a continuous struggle. They are represented in the conflict between the main protagonist and antagonist, embodied in significant symbols, and present in the internal battles of the characters. These two forces greatly effect the boys on the island, as they struggle between living with the morals they were raised with, or giving in to their savage impulses. As the boys return to civilization, they will forever be changed by the battle of civility and savagery that they now know exists

Macbeth Change in Personality - 765 Words

Macbeth is a very complex character. His personality changes drastically from the beginning of the play to the end of the play. Macbeth constantly declines in his level of morality until his death at the end of the play. His change of character from good to evil and Macbeth s attitude towards other characters, specifically Duncan, Banquo, Lady Macbeth is significantly affected. Macbeth interacts with Duncan only a minimal amount before Duncan s death; Macbeth s attitude towards him changes very rapidly. Before Macbeth hears the witches first prophecy, he is very close to Duncan, and would never even think of doing something against him. When the thought of murdering Duncan crosses his mind immediately after he finds that he has just†¦show more content†¦He realizes that Banquo is a threat to him and could ruin his chance of acquiring the throne; Banquo was with Macbeth when the witches gave him the three prophecies. The witches also gave Banquo prophecies saying that the throne will pass onto Banquo s sons, therefore, Macbeth must eliminate all possible threats: Banquo and his son, Fleance. The killing of Banquo by Macbeth shows extreme selfishness; he cannot bear to see even his best friend s sons succeed him on the throne. However, a more important reason that Macbeth kills Banquo is because of Banquo s suspici on of him, and what Banquo will do to him once he finds out for sure that Macbeth has committed the murder of Duncan. One can see that Macbeth becomes extremely harsh if he wants his way. He will go to horrid extremes just so that he does not have to live his kingship in fear but instead in safety. Lady Macbeth interacts with Macbeth a considerable amount, and influences him greatly. He and his wife as a pair are dangerous because his ambition combined with her bloodiness can cause fatal situations. Lady Macbeth and Macbeth have a close relationship until they started falling into a state of near-despair after the murder of Banquo and Macduff s wife and son. At this point, they have started to separate a great deal. He feels so little towards her that when he is informed that she has just died, he just brushes it off as if it was another traitor. His loss ofShow MoreRelatedCauses of Macbeths Personality Change in The Tragedy of Macbeth 1096 Words   |  5 Pages Individuals continu ally deal with general events that affect their personalities. This can either strengthen an individual’s character or lead to one’s demise. William Shakespeare acknowledges these human experiences in The Tragedy of Macbeth with his focus on the protagonist, Macbeth. Fixating his focus on Macbeth, Shakespeare thoroughly portrays the protagonist as a frail human, easily influenced by his environment and personal relationships. Although Macbeth’s decisions determine his plightRead MorePhysical Appearance Versus True Personality Depicted in Shakespeares Macbeth871 Words   |  4 Pagesperson’s true personality. From then on one will realize how important it is to get to know someone before judging them instead of jumping to conclusions prior to actually knowing them. In Shakespeare’s tragedy, Macbeth, the theme of appearances arises multiple times in the judgments made by the witches, Macbeth and Lady Macbeth about physical appearance versus tr ue personality. In the beginning of the tragedy the witches, who appear disgusting and evil on the outside, present Macbeth with someRead MoreLady Macbeth: Guilty or Innocent?1286 Words   |  6 PagesIn William Shakespeare s play Macbeth; one of the leading roles is Lady Macbeth. Lady Macbeth is the wife of Macbeth, a warrior and cousin of King Duncan. As the play progresses and the plot thickens, Lady Macbeth changes. Her actions change, her words change, her personality changes, and her motivations change. Now the real question is; is Lady Macbeth guilty or innocent? Upon Lady Macbeth s first appearance in the play she is very affectionate towards her husband. She reads her letter of endearmentRead MoreThe Downfall of Macbeths Character in William Shakespeares Play714 Words   |  3 PagesThe Downfall of Macbeths Character in William Shakespeares Play At the start of Macbeth Macbeth is described with words such as noble, worthy and brave this shows him in a positive way. However at the end of the play he is described with words such as Hell-hound, coward and bloodier villain which shows him to be a completly different person.He is now shown in a negative light. Macbeths characteristics are turned around and the witches show this in theRead MoreMacbeth Equivocation Essay1003 Words   |  5 PagesThe story of William Shakespeare’s Macbeth is a classic one of betrayal and destiny. One of the major themes of the play is the use of equivocation to create ambiguity. The definition of equivocation from the Oxford dictionary is: the use of ambiguous language to conceal the truth or to avoid committing oneself; prevarication. The very definition of equivocation contains the use of ambiguity, thus making the two very connected in terms of the story of the play. Equivocation is used multiple timesRead MoreMacbeth Character Analysis1073 Words   |  5 Pagesthe Shakespeare play, Macbeth, there is a character who at first appears to be a noble and honest soldier under the reign of Duncan, but his ambition got to the best of him after hearing the three witches prophecies. Macbeths characteristics change gradually throughout the play. His lust for power is causing him to do terrible decisions that only crea tes guilt and paranoia for the fallen character. Shakespeare demonstrates the impact of the change of personality on Macbeth and other prominent charactersRead MoreThemes Of Ambition In Macbeth1038 Words   |  5 PagesShakespeares Macbeth, means that the blood of the victim will seek out the blood of the murderer; in this case, that is Macbeth. This play is full of many central themes that display the different sides of the characters. Although Macbeth proves to be very power hungry; greed, ambition, and also revenge fuel the individuals in this play, whether it be for the right or wrong reasons. Ambition, a strong desire to do or achieve something, is a theme that shows throughout all of Macbeth. The most ambitiousRead MoreMacbeth Mental Essay1536 Words   |  7 PagesMacbeth Research Paper Dontee L. Sessoms 3rd period Macbeth With anger, illusions, stress and so much more I will analyze Macbeth and lady Macbeth for their problems and disorders. In my research I will decipher between certain diseases such as bipolar disease, anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive, panic disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, stress disorder, borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, sleeping disorder, and paranoia to see exactly which one ofRead MoreShakespeares Novel Macbeth1577 Words   |  7 Pagesif no one felt guilt? If no one ever caught caught for their crimes? In Shakespeares novel, Macbeth, the main characters commit crimes driven by their ambition. After committing the first crime Macbeth, the main antagonist is overwhelmed with guilt. His wife, Lady Macbeth plotted the first crime and was the main force pushing Macbeth to kill. In the end Macbeth is charged with the truth and Lady Macbeth kills herself both brought down equally from guilt. Guilt and fear of being found out causesRead Mor eThe Tragedy Of Macbeth By William Shakespeare1571 Words   |  7 PagesMacbeth, written by William Shakespeare, is the telling of a tragic tale that encompasses the necessities needed to showcase the impact king Duncan’s death has as the play develops. As the play evolves, it conveys Macbeth’s overwhelming loss for power, showcasing how this fatal flaw leads to his destruction. After murdering king Duncan and taking the throne of Scotland, Macbeth becomes a tyrant and it is displayed how significantly traumatised he becomes by his decision. The play emphasises Duncan’s