Read the following interview. The expressions in bold type show the way English people describe themselves and other matters. Note them down. Be ready to act out the Interview in class.

TV interviewer: In this week's edition of "Up with People" we went into the streets and asked a number of people a question they just didn't expect. We asked them to be self-critical... to ask themselves exactly what they thought they lacked or — the other side of the coin — what virtues they had. Here is what we heard.

Jane Smith: Well... I... I don't know really... it's not the sort of question you ask yourself directly. I know I'm good at my job... at least my boss calls me hard-working, conscientious, efficient. I am a secretary by the way. As for when I look at myself in a mirror as it were... you know... you sometimes do in the privacy of your own bedroom... or at your reflection in the... in the shop window as you walk up the street... Well... then I see someone a bit different. Yes... I'm different in my private life. And that's probably, my main fault I should say... I'm not exactly — Oh, how shall I say? — I sup­pose I'm not coherent in my behaviour... My office is always in or­der... but my flat! Well... you'd have to see it to believe it.

Charles Dimmock: Well... I'm retired, you know. Used to be a secondary school teacher. And... I think I've kept myself... yes, I've kept myself respectable — that's the word I'd use — respect­able and dignified the whole of my life. I've tried to help those who depended on me. Perhaps you might consider me a bit of a fanatic about organization and discipline — self-discipline comes first — and all that sort of thing. But basically I'm a good chap... not two polemic... fond of my wife and family... That's me.

Arthur Fuller: Well... when I was young I was very shy. At times I... I was very unhappy... especially when I was sent to boarding- school at seven. I didn't make close friends till... till quite late in life... till I was about... what... fifteen. Then I became quite good at being myself. I had no one to rely on... and no one to ask for ad­vice. That made me independent... and I've always solved my problems myself...

 

11. Answer the following questions:

1. Does the self-criticism of each of the participants of the inter­view reveal anything about personality and attitudes? 2. Would these people be different when described by their relations or friends? 3. What differences do you notice between the people answering the questions of the interviewer?

12. When you describe people you either criticize or praise them. When you criticize you normally try to find faults rather than positive traits of character but it certainly does not exclude the expression of praise. Here are some com­ments that people make when they are invited to analyse and judge:

I think I'd much prefer to...; nothing like as good (bad) as...; that's what I thought...; and that's another thing; there's much va­riety in...; to be similar in...; there's a tremendous number of dif­ferences in...: to have little (much) in common.

Use the cliches in the conversations of your own when you are welcome with your criticism of people.

13. Work in pairs. Read the extracts and expand on the idea that: "Every man is a bundle of possibilities." You are to sum up the characters described. You may be of a similar or a different opinion of the human types presented below. Consider the strong and the weak traits of characters. Your judgement should be followed by some appropriate comment:

1. Where she found the time, and still managed to "practically run that big house" and be the president of her class..., a skilled rider, an excellent musician (piano, clarinet), an annual winner at the country fair (pastry, preserves, needlework, flower arrange­ment) — how a girl not yet seventeen could have such a wagon- load, and do so without "brag", with, rather, merely a radiant jaun- tiness, was an enigma the community pondered, and solved by saying, "She's got character. Gets it from her old man." Certain­ly her strongest trait, the talent that gave support to all the others, was derived from her father: a fine-boned sense of organization. Each moment was assigned; she knew precisely at any hour, what she would be doing, how long it would require.

2. You are a man of extreme passion, a hungry man not quite sure where his appetite lies, a deeply frustrated man striving to project his individuality against a backdrop of rigid conformity. You exist in a half-world suspended between two superstructures, one self-expression and the other self-destruction. You are strong, but there is a flaw in your strength, and unless you learn to control it the flaw will prove stronger than your strength and defeat you. The flaw? Explosive emotional reaction out of all proportion to the occasion. Why? Why this unreasonable anger at the sight of others who are happy or content, this growing contempt for people and the desire to hurt them? All right, you think they're fools, you de­spise them because their morals, their happiness is the source of your frustration and resentment. But these are dreadful enemies you carry within yourself — in time destructive as bullets. Merci­fully, a bullet kills its victim. This other bacteria, permitted to age, does not kill a man but leaves in its wake the hulk of a creature torn and twisted; there is still fire within his being but it is kept alive by casting upon it faggots of scorn and hate. He may successfully accumulate, but he does not accumulate success, for he is his own enemy and is kept from truly enjoying his achievements.

3. What wasn't too appealing was the idea of using family as a crutch, and right at the outset. He couldn't bear the thought of hearing for the rest of his life, "Of course, if was Julian gave him his state..." But of more significance was the damage that accept­ing something like this could do to his individuality. Not only would he never respect himself if he just stepped into a job and rose solely on the basis of personal privilege, but how would he ever realize his own potential if he was going to be treated like one of those rich kids who were just coddled up the ladder of success their whole life long?

4. It was our friend's eye that chiefly told his story,«an eye in which innocence and experience were singularly blended. It was full of contradictory suggestions; and though it was by no means the glowing orb of a hero of romance, you could find in it almost anything you looked for. Frigid and yet friendly, positive yet scep­tical, confident yet shy, extremely intelligent and extremely good- humoured, there was something vaguely defiant in its concessions, and something profoundly reassuring in its reserve... Decision, sa­lubrity, jocosity, prosperity seem to hover within his call: he is evi­dently a practical man....

14. Read the following text. Find in it arguments "for" and "against" the problem under discussion. Copy them out into two columns.

Happiness Is This Shape...

There is a large number of intriguing conclusions contained in the study of happiness— what causes it and what doesn't — which has just been concluded by two psychologists. They have analysed the replies of as many as 52,000 people.

The people who replied to their questionnaire were younger, better educated and more affluent than average, so their replies may not be absolutely typical to everyone. They varied in age from 15 to 95 and their answers were so diverse that the two interviewers believe that they have enough material to see what is related to happiness, and what isn't.

The general level of happiness of people proved the thorniest problem to assess. Some of the people answered that they had been happy once. At the same time many were constantly thinking about happiness, weekly or daily. Can anyone really be happy when they are thinking about it so often?

The scientists were interested in 16 aspects of people's lives and how important each was in contributing to general happiness. For single people being happy depends on having congenial friends, a satisfying work and love life and also some sort of recognition by others for what they are doing. For married couples the impor­tant things seem to be somewhat different.

The wife gets her happiness chiefly from her family life. The husband is more concerned with personal growth and devel­opment.

The psychologists also asked a number of questions about peo­ple's childhoods to see if there was anything in that which was associated with being happy.

The major surprise was that few childhood experiences predict­ed with any certainty whether someone would be happy as an adult. And many people who came through bad early and teen­age years are perfectly happy as adults.

Happiness, conclude the psychologists, is more a matter of how you regard your circumstances than of what the circum­stances are.

15. Discuss the text in pairs. One of the pair insists that happiness is more an attitude to life than the state of things, the other defends the opposite viewpoint. Be sure to provide sound arguments for whatever you say. Consider the follow­ing aspects in relation to your idea of happiness:

friends and social life; job or primary activity; being in love; rec­ognition, success, personal growth; financial situation; house or apartment; attractiveness; health, physical condition; city you live in; recreation; being a parent; marriage; partner's happiness.

 

16. The extracts given below present rather complicated subjects. Team up with another student, work out arguments "for" and "against" and discuss the extracts in pairs. Use conversational formulas of Ex. 12.

A. Does every life have its critical moments and situations that determine the entire future of a person or the future of many others?

Some men and women risk comfort and security, and even their lives, to venture into the unknown or to follow an unconventional course of conduct. They may do so for any one of a number of rea­sons. They may desire to benefit mankind, to gain knowledge, to increase understanding, to gain wealth or power for themselves or their country, or to prove to themselves that they can do what seems impossible.

B. How does reading contribute to our understanding and judgement of people?

Reading often increases our understanding of people because the individuals we meet in novels resemble so closely, or differ so much, from persons with whom we are acquainted in real life. The conduct of a fictitious character, like that of real people, results from such emotions as greed, ambition, fear, love, self-sacrifice, jealousy, hatred, revenge, patriotism, civic pride and the desire to reform the society.

C. Do people today measure up in courage and endurance to the people of earlier generations?

Few great people have had to contend with as many obstacles to success in life as Christopher Columbus. He had a lively curiosi­ty about the heavens and the earth, he read widely about astrono­my and navigation. He needed indomitable will and courage to fight for his ideas against ignorance and prejudices of his time. He convinced the Spanish rulers that an expedition to find a new west­ward commercial route to India would bring Spain unlimited pow­er and wealth. The task of carrying out such an expedition called for tremendous determination, courage, and resourcefulness. Only these qualities enabled Columbus to overcome the dangers and hardships of the voyage into the unknown. Columbus was in es­sence, a great man, whose broad vision, faith in his ideas, and ex­traordinary abilities led to outstanding achievements in spite of very adverse circumstances.

D. Should people fight adverse circumstances and obstacles or should they surrender to them?

Hellen Keller was able to lead an active useful life in spite of being blind and deaf from early childhood. Such a triumph over adversity calls for almost superhuman perseverance, courage, re­sourcefulness. With the help of her devoted teacher Ann Sullivan Macy, the girl was able to overcome her crushing handicaps and make herself a figure of international renown. Other persons, struck such a cruel blow by fate, might have chosen to withdraw from life. Not so the dauntless Helen! She travelled abroad, she championed social and economic rights for women; she worked for world peace; she aided movements to help the unfortunate and underprivileged. And more than anything else, by the mere example of what she was able to achieve, she gave hope and cour­age to untold thousands who might otherwise have given up to despair.

Role-Playing.

The People We Choose

Situation: It's an emergency sitting of the Editorial Board of the "Teachers" Newspaper". There is a vacancy to be filled. The newspaper needs a new correspondent to report for the paper in the "Family and School" feature. You are members of the Edito­rial Board with conclusions to make about some particular appli­cants. The list of applicants has been rather long. After a heated discussion only two apparently eligible people remain on it: a professional journalist who has worked for about 20 years for a children's magazine and a former teacher of literature who has made up her mind to change occupation after having worked at a secondary school for about 15 years. Both the applicants are ma­ture people and know their trades. In the course of discussion opinions differ: two members of the staff are for the journalist, two others are for the teacher.

Characters:

Student A: Editor-in-Chief, presides at the sitting, a talented journalist, has spent his whole life in the paper, knows a good thing when he sees it, doesn't show his attitude to the applicants during the discussion. In the long run he has to bring forth his decision be­cause the opinions differ much. His opinion turns out to be reason­able, convincing and fair.

Students B, C, D, E: members of the Editorial Board, experi­enced journalists, enthusiasts of their paper, devoted to the prob­lems of upbringing and schooling, have worked together for a long period of time.

They study the personal sheets and records of the applicants, make suggestions and try to formulate valid reasons why the jour­nalist/the teacher should be employed by the paper. Such impor­tant items as professional experience, age, interests and traits of character are taken into account. As a result of the discussion, they produce various judgements mainly connected with the personal qualities of the applicants. Thus two members are in favour of the journalist, two others are in favour of the teacher. They point out advantages and disadvantages of either employment, giving warn­ings based on personal experience where possible.

Note: The group of students is divided into two teams. Each team performs the same role play. While discussing the virtues and imperfections of prospective reporters they show a different outlook in regard to their jobs and problems they face in life. At the end of the sitting the better applicant is chosen.

Group Discussion.