American Culture Introduction Class (19/6)

Yesterday we had our introduction class for the American Culture and Language workshop (Wednesdays 17-19). We started off with a quote by Jack Kerouac, leader of the Beat Generation and author of On the Road:

"All of life is a foreign country." // "Tudo na vida é um pais extrangeiro."

What does this quote mean to you?

In class, we decided that this quote refers to the idea that everything new that one does in life is like visiting a foreign country, and that one doesn't have leave her home to experience a foreign country. Every week we will discuss a quote by a famous American, so keep an eye out for more quotes as the weeks go by.

Next, we talked about important American symbols like the Statue of Liberty, the Declaration of Independence, the Liberty Bell, the American Eagle, the Donkey and the Elephant, and Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam is a symbol of the American government that was first used in propaganda during World War I to recuit Americans to join the army.

Finally, we listened to the American National Anthem ('Star Spangled Banner') as sung by Beyonce at the 2013 Presidential Inauguration for Barack Obama. Follow the link below to see the full video:

Beyonce "National Anthem" 2013

See you next week! As always, please comment below with questions, concerns or opinions.