American studies: a few guidelines for writing a commentaire de civilisation

(first year level)

(for later years see  méthodologie_comm.txt.html)

Defining "cultural features"

Your task

Locating cultural features: an example

An example of a commentaire de civilisation

A glossary of American cultural features

More guidelines


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Defining "cultural features"

Civilization can be defined as " the culture and way of life of a society or country at a particular period in time." (Cambridge Dictionary).

Studying a civilization is among other things learning how to define its dominant features.

French civilization has long been described as being characterized, among many other dominant features, by centralization: every regulation, idea, innovation allegedly  [prétendument] comes from Paris. This can be accounted for by History: the kings of France, then the French revolutionaries, then Napoleon all issued their rules from one central place, Paris (or Versailles).

British civilization is said to be characterized, among very many other features, by respect for tradition and a capacity to adopt reforms to adapt to new trends. Even today, a majority of British people revere the monarchy and are immensely fond of pageantry that reaches its best on royal weddings or jubilees. English judges still wear wigs.

What then are the dominant features of American civilization?

    Perhaps the first feature that comes to mind is Americans' love of freedom or liberty. Americans are said to hate big government, bureaucracy and regulations.

    Another dominant American feature is  pragmatism: Americans allegedly hate abstraction, they love what works in the concrete. They have invented not new theories, but all sorts of machines (the telephone, the computer, etc.)  that work to make life easier. This is characteristic of American pragmatism.

    Another dominant feature of American society is dynamism. Americans are always on the move, planning things, doing things, achieving a dream that demands a lot of activity, energy, stamina. Hard work has thus become another feature that can help describe American culture.

Of course, you must not mistake clichés for true features. Not all Americans are millionaires, not all French people like wine, not all English people drink tea. But hard work is certainly an American feature, art de vivre a French ideal, and a sense of humor part of British culture.

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Your task
Your task during your first year of American studies will be to locate the features characteristic of American civilization in short texts. For each feature, you will write a paragraph in which you will give a quotation from the text being studied.
 
 

REMEMBER: YOU MUST QUOTE THE TEXT (CITER LE TEXTE) AT LEAST ONCE IN EACH PARAGRAPH.

Example: two paragraphs from a commentaire de civilisation (first year level)

 
    Hard work is another basic component of the American Dream. The Dream demands efforts and perseverance. This is suggested by Jakubovic when he states that "[r]unning the business required full-time commitment," or, in other words, long hours at the office. The workload is part of the deal to achieve success in a world where competition reigns.

    Competition is still another component that one has to accept when one aims at achieving the American Dream. Competition may mean fierce struggle against honest competitors, and sometimes a fight with swindlers. Tom Monaghan was nearly ruined after "deals with unscrupulous individuals." But he somehow again proved how resilient he was. He was waiting for the right opportunity to turn up.

In the above example, there are two paragraphs. Each paragraph deals with one American cultural feature (hard work in paragraph 1, competition in paragraph 2). Each paragrah includes a quotation from the text being commented upon (in green, bold type).

Click here for a full commentaire de civilisation (first year level).

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Locating cultural features: an example

The following short text  is an ad published in the Career Fair Guide of Oregon Daily Emerald, January 22, 2001, p. 10B. (The Oregon Daily Emerald is the University of Oregon student journal.)

Read it and try to locate American features.

Enterprise/rent-a-car 
1 I always saw myself working in an office. But it turned out I like thinking on my feet, doing ten
2  things at once. I like managing a balance sheet impacting a $5 billion company. And I 
3 "definitely like the potential to earn more money than my friends climbing the corporate 
4 ladder.It's a little surprising how much I enjoy it. But Enterprise is a surprising place. They 
5 train me. Support me. Reward me when I perform. Yet they let me do it my way, and I've never
6 learned so much in my life. 
 
Features
Quotations
 Line(s)
Dynamism    " ... I like thinking on my feet, doing ten things at once." 1-2
Freedom    "Yet they let me do [my job] my way, ...." 5
     

(There are other features in this short passage like "money-oriented society", "competition," "social mobility," ... )
 

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Text and suggested commentaire: an example


Domino's Pizza Founder Really Delivers

Tom Monaghan's road to success was covered with potholes. Raised in orphanages and foster homes, naively trusting in people, he lost all his money and his business on more than one occasion. Yet today Tom Monaghan has the last laugh: He rules over the vast Ann Arbor, Michigan-based Domino's Pizza empire that he founded and is ranked one of the nation's wealthiest people by Forbes.

But Monaghan is an unlikely candidate for such success. He attended college for only three weeks before dropping out, […]

Yet even during the toughest times he remained the eternal optimist, always believing that the future held promise. […]

LEARNING  THE  HARD  WAY

Monaghan's simple faith in people won him many friends over the years and helped him overcome obstacles, but it also led him into deals with unscrupulous individuals. The first of those learning experiences came immediately after Monaghan was discharged from the Marines in 1959, he recalls. An oil promoter convinced the young Monaghan that putting most of his life savings into an oil drilling venture was a rare opportunity. He was soon swindled out of the balance of his savings.

Monaghan was left literally penniless; his hope to attend the University of Michigan was dashed—he could not even afford to purchase textbooks. Instead, he was forced to settle for a real-life introductory business education by running a small newsstand. He got further business experience in 1960 when he purchased DomiNick's, a pizza store in Ypsilanti, with his brother for $500. […]

Running the business required full-time commitment, which Monaghan eagerly made. His brother, on the other hand, had different priorities and went out of the partnership after another few months. Monaghan gave him their delivery car in exchange for his share of the business.

FINDING  THE  RIGHT  BUSINESS  INGREDIENTS

 […] customers wanted speedy delivery and the ability to eat the pizza right out of the box. This meant finding a way to deliver pizza while it was still warm.

Monaghan threw himself into mastering those challenges. Indeed, he claims credit for pioneering the 30-minute free delivery concept (customers get a pizza for free if it's not delivered in 30 minutes); developing a stiff, corrugated pizza box; and using a "hot box" (an insulated pouch) to keep pizza hot while in transit. […]

Jerry Jakubovic, "Domino's Pizza Founder Really Delivers,"  Management Review, July 1989, p.11.

 

A table for key words and quotations

key words

QUOTATIONS

line(s)

Individual success

"Tom Monaghan's road to success was covered with potholes."

 

from rags to riches

"Tom Monaghan's road to success was covered with potholes. [He was ][r]aised in orphanages and foster homes,"

 

equality of opportunity

"But Monaghan is an unlikely candidate for such success."

 

 

"Yet even during the toughest times he remained the eternal optimist, always believing that the future held promise."

 

competition

"deals with unscrupulous individuals."

 

enterprise

"An oil promoter convinced the young Monaghan that putting most of his life savings into an oil drilling venture was a rare opportunity."

 

resiliency

"his hope to attend the University of Michigan was dashed—he could not even afford to purchase textbooks. Instead, he was forced to settle for a real-life introductory business education by running a small newsstand."

 

 

"Running the business required full-time commitment,"

 

 

"he claims credit for pioneering the 30-minute free delivery concept (customers get a pizza for free if it's not delivered in 30 minutes);"

 

Suggested paper for "Domino's pizza"

INTRODUCTION[1]

This passage is an excerpt from Jerry Jakubovic's "Domino's Pizza Founder Really Delivers." It was published in Management Review, in July 1989. At that time, after the turmoil and doubts that followed the sixties and defeat in Vietnam, the Reagan years had brought back confidence in basic American values, especially those associated with the American Dream. This passage actually reflects this mood of confidence and pride. It is a perfect illustration of the American Dream come true for a an orphan who made it to the top thanks to hard work and ingenuity. This document is therefore an opportunity to wonder how the American Dream is still possible in today's America. In order to address this question, we shall first concentrate on the basic abilities required to achieve the American Dream, such as resiliency and enterprise. We shall then deal with the harsh but rewarding business environment that makes the achievement of the dream possible in American society. Finally, we shall focus on the American Dream come true for Tom Monaghan, the protagonist,[2] and what this means in American society.

I - To achieve the American Dream in today's America, one needs some individual abilities.

A - 6 - enterprise

One essential ability to achieve the American Dream is enterprise, which is the capacity to embark on a new business, to take risks in order to succeed. Tom Monaghan showed enterprise when "[a]n oil promoter convinced the young Monaghan that putting most of his life savings into an oil drilling venture was a rare opportunity." Obviously, the young entrepreneur could combine a sense of opportunity and enterprise. But enterprise can lead to failure, which in turn demands resiliency in the pursuit of the dream.

B - 7 - resiliency

The American Dream actually demands perseverance and resiliency. Nobody is expected to be able to succeed offhandedly, and everyone has to endure failure at some time. What counts then is resiliency, and resiliency is one of Tom's main qualities as shown in this quotation: "his hope to attend the University of Michigan was dashed—he could not even afford to purchase textbooks. Instead, he was forced to settle for a real-life introductory business education by running a small newsstand." Even though Tom's hope to have a higher education failed, he was resilient enough to find a job and start it all over again. He worked hard for that.

C - 8 - Hard work

Hard work is another basic component of the American Dream. The Dream demands efforts and perseverance. This is suggested by author Jakubovic when he states that "[r]unning the business required full-time commitment," or, in other words, long hours at the office. The workload is part of the deal to achieve success. However, even if hard work is necessary, it is not enough. A new idea or a new product demands ingenuity.

D - 9- Ingenuity

The American Dream is usually associated with ingenuity. This capacity to find new ways to solve concrete problems is typical of a pragmatic society. The author reminds us that "[Monaghan] claims credit for pioneering the 30-minute free delivery concept (customers get a pizza for free if it's not delivered in 30 minutes)." Monaghan showed that ingenuity is still an asset in the twentieth century by inventing the speedy pizza delivery in a hot box. This was the decisive step to success in a highly competitive business environment.

II - Such abilities as ingenuity are necessary to compete in a harsh but rewarding business environment and achieve the American Dream.

A - 5 - competition

Competition is another component that one has to accept when one aims at achieving the American Dream. Competition may mean fierce struggle against honest competitors, and sometimes a fight with swindlers. Tom Monaghan was nearly ruined after "deals with unscrupulous individuals." But he somehow again proved how resilient he was. He was waiting for the right opportunity to turn up.

B - 3 - Equality of opportunity

The American Dream cannot work without the belief in equality of opportunity. Everyone supposedly is given a chance at some time in their lives. And everyone, even the most unlikely candidates, can succeed. Jakubovic insists that "Monaghan [was] an unlikely candidate for such success." If Tom Monaghan succeeded, even as an orphan and a poor young man, it means anyone can succeed, anyone has a chance, a synonym for equality of opportunity. So Tom Monaghan successfully made it to the top.

III - Therefore success rewards enterprising individuals like Tom who has achieved the American Dream.

A - 1 -Individual success

Individual success is the ultimate achievement of the American Dream. It usually is the reward after many ordeals have been overcome. The author aptly remarks that "Tom Monaghan's road to success was covered with potholes." But Tom has eventually  achieved the dream and made a fortune and now rules over an empire. He is one of the newest versions of the famous Horatio Alger's success stories of the nineteenth century.

B - 2- From rags to riches

What is remarkable about Monaghan's success story is that he was an orphan, a poor boy who literally made it "from rags to riches", as the saying goes. The author insists that "Tom Monaghan's road to success was covered with potholes. [He was][r]aised in orphanages and foster homes." Such a story of a poor boy making it to the top by hard work and ingenuity could have been written by Horatio Alger. The fact that such stories still happen in contemporary America, and are dutifully reported by the media, only means that the American Dream is still alive and well.

C - 4 - Optimism

The fact that success stories still happen these days and are given publicity may account for the ongoing optimism that still pervades American society. Perhaps such a belief inspired Monaghan all his life since "even during the toughest times he remained the eternal optimist, always believing that the future held promise." Optimism was still a prevailing feature of American society in the 1990s.

CONCLUSION

Monaghan's success story is evidence that the American Dream, however improbable, is still achieved by a few in today's America, as they know how to use their own abilities in a competitive environment that leads them to success. It makes optimism an enduring major American cultural feature.

 

Remember: Begin the paragraph with a heading sentence inserting the concept of the quotation given later in same paragraph. Then explain the meaning of your heading sentence. Then introduce and give the quotation that illustrates the heading sentence. Do not start a new paragraph after that. Show how the quotation illustrates the heading sentence whenever possible. Write a transition to proceed to the next paragraph.


[1]  In your introduction you should state: the nature of the document, the author, the date of the document, the link between the historical background and the document. Then give a short rendering of the document using the main underlying concepts of the text. Clearly mention the prevailing American theme in the passage that you are going to discuss. Sketch the outline of your commentaire.

[2] Protagonist: syn. character


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A glossary of some American features

Affluence Because of its abundant natural resources and wildlife, America has long been considered the land of plenty, abundance, affluence, a land of milk and honey. Consequently, every pioneer had an infinite series of second chances on the frontier.
  "That there is enough for everyone is a valid belief for people living in a large country with an expanding economy and abundant resources."


(Affluence is one of many features or attitudes inherited from frontier times. The frontier lasted until 1890.)

 America as a utopia America was a wilderness, a would-be empty continent where to start a new, ideal society. (This idea is part of the Puritan heritage.) The American Dream One definition of the American Dream is to raise oneself to the top by hard work and ingenuity, from rags to riches. Individual success through hard work and ingenuity implies competition with others. "By extolling hard work, the Alger myth made all labor honorable and undermined any lingering aristocratic snobbery about the degrading character of honest labor." Capitalism "an economic system characterized by private or corporate ownership of capital goods, by investments that are determined by private decision, and by prices, production, and the distribution of goods that are determined mainly by competition in a free market" (Merriam-Webster's dictionary)

"an economic, political and social system based on private ownership of property, business and industry, and directed towards making the greatest possible profits for successful organizations and people" (Cambridge dictionary)

Capitalism and money: "Money has been and still is king in the free democracy that America seeks to be. […] But American capitalism, with its free and sometimes too free interplay of supply and demand, has brouhgt material prosperity unequalled anywhere else in the world. […] and American idealism, whose vigour and often total unselfishness no one can deny, is in part a response to the pervasive materialism of big business, an escape from it and also a reproof. Capitalism, in the United States, has often had a guilty conscience. "

 Comfort and cleanliness Comfort and cleanliness: concern with and emphasis on material things; material welfare; physical comfort and material well being. Convenience comes first. …. Communication Communication has always been of great importance in American life. The directness and informality of Americans may puzzle foreign visitors. Conformity
Paradoxically for a society that extols individualism, conformity, i.e. acting in accordance with prevailing standards, customs, dominant values, rules and attitudes (doing like others do) is also a major trend in America, possibly because most Americans adhere to the same values associated to the American Dream.
Conscience Conscience supports good against evil. (It is part of the Puritan heritage.) Democracy (A feature or attitude inherited from frontier times. The frontier lasted until 1890.) Dynamism Energy; dynamism, good health are highly valued. "A salient characteristic of American society is its astonishing dynamism."

(A feature or attitude inherited from frontier times. The frontier lasted until 1890.)

 Election The Puritans (1620-1691) believed that god had made them his chosen people. Puritans thought of themselves as God's elect. This sense of election has persited in america to this day and is now called American exceptionalism.

It leads to the notion of "US(A)" against "them", and makes America the champion of redemption, the redeemer nation.

 Enterprise (A feature or attitude inherited from frontier times. The frontier lasted until 1890.) Frontier
 
What was the frontier ? The frontier was not a line but an area, more exactly that part of the American territory between civilization in the East and the wilderness in the West. The frontier existed and was being settled right from the beginning of British settlement (1607) until 1890. In other words, the frontier lay between those areas that had already been settled in the East and the so-called empty territories in the West also called the wilderness where pioneers arrived and started their homesteads (farms). The frontier moved west year after year, but not along one north-south line. There were scattered pockets of settlement, and the settled areas appeared like a huge hand with fingers pointing west.
More
Free enterprise Enterprise is the spirit, not a business, that inspires entrepreneurs, i.e. those who have a new idea  or a project and want to make it work. Free enterprise--the economic system based on the concept of private property--is seen as as an inalienable right in the United States. Freedom Americans have always shown a passion for freedom and democracy. They fear any faceless bureaucratic tyranny, big government and oppressive state. Guilt feeling Deeply rooted in the Protestant ethci and the Judeo-Christian tradition is the notion of sin, the original sin and the fall of man. The resulting feeling, the guilt feeling (sentiment de culpabilité) pervades American culture.(It is part of the Puritan heritage.) Hard work (alias the Protestant Work Ethic) Hard work was required for the ealry settlers in New Engalnd to survive inthe wilderness. It was also necessary for pioneers on the frontier. Hard work is still a dominant feature in American society.

(Hard work is part of the Puritan heritage.) (It is also a feature or attitude inherited from frontier times. The frontier lasted until 1890.)

 Idealism
There are many definitions of idealism. Here it means thethe practice of forming ideals or living under their influence. An ideal is ... 1 : a standard of perfection, beauty, or excellence
2 : one regarded as exemplifying an ideal and often taken as a model for imitation
3 : an ultimate object or aim of endeavor
(Merriam Webster's).

(from Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary)
ideal
a principle or a way of behaving that is of a very high standard:
democratic ideals
We are committed to the ideal of equality.
They share the same high ideals.

idealism
 the belief that your ideals can be achieved, often when this does not seem likely to others:
She never lost her youthful idealism and campaigned for just causes all her life.


Even if materialism is a characteristic of American society, American idealism should not be ignored, especially as America started as a utopia made true: "America is a construction of mind, not a race or inherited class or ancestral territory." Individualism (A feature or attitude inherited from frontier times. The frontier lasted until 1890.) Ingenuity Ingenuity, know-how, can-do spirit, initiative. (A feature or attitude inherited from frontier times. The frontier lasted until 1890.) Liberalism If American liberalism (i.e. tolerance, open-mindedness) cannot be denied, it is somewhat paradoxically counterbalanced by the demands of conformity in American society. Mobility, restlessness (A features or attitude inherited from frontier times. The frontier lasted until 1890.) Optimism Optimism, buoyancy (capacité à rebondir après un échec) and hopefulness (qualité de celui qui garde toujours l'espoir) are still basic features of American society, even though they have been questioned in recent times, especially during the sixties (Viet Nam War, social unrest).

A feature inherited from frontier times.

Optimism, the belief in an infinite series of second chances, equality of opportunities: in frontier times, natural resources seemed to be inexhaustible.

 Patriotism Patriotism is another American feature. One of its contemporary forms is the community feeling that often flourishes in suburban neighborhoods. America is also the land of affluence, abundance, the land of plenty. Pragmatism It is the belief that the truth of an idea can be judged only by its practical results. There is some kind of American genius for devising and employing machines. E.g. Americans, especially in the suburbs, depend on the automobile. "These […] reactions to progress are aimed at the American view of rational man, separate from nature, relatively independent of the social order, and living in an objective world where the final arbiter of the good and desirable is economics. Based on those values, most Americans tend to believe that the basic problems of the world are economic and that technology offers solutions." Private property Private property is perceived as a basic right by Americans. There exists an American belief in the inviolacy of private property. Progress Belief in progress.

"With the scientific support of the theory of evolution, Americans see progress as ascending from the primitive past along a path in time toward a future in which the impediments of nature are dominated by individual human will and technology."

"Although oversimplified, lineal time combined with Euclidian space strengthens the American belief in the individual's ability to master the environment?to cause 'progress.'"

 Pursuit of happiness The Declaration of Independence (1776) established the pursuit of happiness as an inalienable right. Religion A deep interest in religious matters and the Bible is part of the Puritan heritage. Some features inherited from Puritan times (1620-1690) thus still endure in contemporary American society. Sense of duty
(It is part of the Puritan heritage.)
Social Darwinism The struggle for life, the survival of the fittest, competition with others and the ensuing rat race are some of the clichés normally associated with Social Darwinism which dominated American social life by the end of the nineteenth century.
More
 Violence (A feature or attitude inherited from frontier times. The frontier lasted until 1890.) Youth worship Death is ignored; it is a taboo. Youth is worshipped. "We are a youth-worshipping society."

 

A quick test (answers farther below)

 
1. What American cultural feature is common to the American Dream, the Puritan heritage, and the frontier heritage?

2. Name two or three values that Americans seem to rank highest.

3. What American basic cultural feature can best explain that some young Americans spend a year abroad helping poor people in developing countries?
 

4. What American basic cultural feature would you name to describe Americans' obsession with acquiring things in order to feel happy?
 

5.  When did the first Puritans arrive in America?
 

6.  What made the belief in equality of opportunity possible on the frontier?
 

7. What are the two phrases usually associated with Social Darwinism?


 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Answers to the short test

1. What American cultural feature is common to the American Dream, the Puritan heritage, and the frontier heritage? Hard work

2. Name two or three values that Americans seem to rank highest: freedom, democracy, private property

3. What American basic cultural feature can best explain that some young Americans spent a year abroad helping poor people in developing countries?  Idealism

4. What American basic cultural feature would you name to describe Americans' obsession with acquiring things in order to feel happy?
materialism

5.  When did the first Puritans arrive in America ? 1620

6.  What made the belief in equality of opportunity possible on the frontier? Many answers are acceptable; inexhaustible natural resources possibly the best one.

7. What are the two phrases usually associated with Social Darwinism? Survival of the fittest - struggle for life