Sunday, February 21, 2010

Questions about TED talk

Please write at least 1 paragraph (with at least 5-7 sentences each) for each question. Respond thoughtfully and thoroughly.

1. Please explore the website. Look at the other talks, the topics, the options (subtitles/transcripts). What do you think about TED talks? Do they seem interesting to you? Do you think they could help with your English? How?

2. What did you think of Chimamanda Adichie's talk? What resonated with you? (=What did it make you think about and feel? What did you like/dislike? What did you learn?)

3. Do you agree that we often have "single stories" about countries, cultures, and people? Why is this the case? What do you think are some of the stories (stereotypes) about your country or culture?

5 comments:

  1. 1. It seems interesting, pretty much intellectual and cultural. It can help because it's not nativspeakers who are talking, they don't have strong american accent that can be somtimes incomprehensible. And if they are, they can be using words interesting for us.

    2. I think she has the luck to be born in a family where culture was because of her parent's job. I am really impressed by her age when she started to read and then to write! I think it's a kind of "open-mindedness" (not sure about the word!) and I really respect that because me, I am never attracted by books and I always thought, and I'm still thinking that it's a kind of intelligence that I don't have.
    I don't know how old she is, but about her roomate story, I think/hope that now people knows that in Africa they can speak english and are civilized.

    3. I think there's always "single stories" about countries, cultures, people and everything. They can also be positiv, but I think that it's almost impossible to don't have any. You meet someone for the first time, he's in a good or bad mood, he seems funny or enoying to you and than you have an idea of this person until you "really" know him/her.
    She told us a good "why" by saying that we're making one story, "the" story!
    I don't really know if Belgium is known enought to have stereotypes, but maybe like more primitiv "the women is at home and take care of the children while the wan is working and bring money home!"

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  2. 1. I think that this website is very useful! First, I think you can learn a lot about the world, the life etc. with this kind of website. If you are interested in a topic, you can look for a person who talk about this topic. It helps you to think by yourself and then you can have you own opinion about the topic. Moreover, you can make links with your life or with what you learnt before. So I think it's good for the children and even for the adult. This kind of common reflexion can cultivate you and help you to think by yourself. For me, it's important and I think that everybody should try to learn more from real people and not just from the T.V and from Internet. And then, everybody is free to make his own opinion.
    The subtitles are very important because everybody should be able to understand.
    I tried without the subtitles and I understood all she said I think... She had a comprehensive accent and didn't use words so complicated so it was okay without subtitles for me.

    2+3 I totally agree with this writer! I also learnt that thing when I started to think by myself and become more open to the world. I used to live in a small city with parents who were born in a small village. They were not so rich and they didn't do studies... I don't say that they are stupid but when they were young they didn't have the possibility to learn, to read books or to look it up! Especially my mother, who had to become an housewife. So when they were young, everybody told them always single stories...They didn't know a lot about gay people until I thought them for exemple. They are open and they wanted to learn but they didn't have opportunity. So they always told me to try to think by myself , to learn and to doubt... I think the doubt is good because you can watch something on T.V about Africa or about Bermuda Triangle :-) but you can't trust this single story. So I agree with her because I always try to look more deeply when I receive an information. And especially about cultures. For example, everybody think that Switzerland is Heaven...or they think that everybody is rich in my country. It's not true and then think that just because it's the stereotype of this country...
    Or when I arrived in America, I didn't know how really were american...I just read about their superficiality and heard about people telling me that. And when I arrived here, I think I trust this single story because I heard many times this stereotype. Now, I think differently because I think it depends! Sometimes maybe american people are like that and you can't be friend with them because they don't care of you...But I think that you can also meet other people who are not like that. The risk is that if you keep always this cliché in your mind, you could never meet and know well and real american. If you stay in America for a long time, it's a shame!

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  3. 1. It's interesting to me. Because someone who is not american talk about something, and they are not real american speakers, and I can learn about their culture. Sometimes I think about other countires speech.. this website has what I want it. And also, they have subtitles. It can give me big help.

    2+3.I think there is 'single stories' in everywhere.Once in my case, I always think kinds of 'single stories'. For example, when I came here at first, I had heard about America is dangerous country, and always I have to be careful. But, It's not much danger.. If I'm in trouble, I think it's so dangerous. But until now, America is good country to me.
    And the other example, when people hear about someone who has a problem, or someone who is in trouble, people have a prejudice about someone.
    That is the reason why I agree with the writer.
    She talked about African. When I think African, at first thinking is that they have to be receive help. But it is just prejudice. My thinking is wrong, and I have to fix my thinking.
    I always have a prejudice. It has to be change.
    And also, people have to be change.

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  4. 1,I think TED has a lot of enlightening stories.
    I like this kind of stories!Probably,any topic we can get great deal.I like"How to live before you die"that is spoken by Steve Jobs.There are lots of presenter and they are not native speaker of English,but they are speak English and they can express their opinions.I think this is very great thing.And we can understand English.This is also great thing.This is my motivation why I'm studying English.

    2,I learned from English textbook that Sudanese are troubled by starvation.And all my knowledge about Africa is there are a lot of refugees of Rwanda,genocide,pirates of Somalia,and also beautiful savanna,wildlives.
    I watched movie of "Hotel Rwanda""Bloody Diamond"
    In these movies,there are a lot of African who is exploited by developed nations.So I knew there are modern people in Africa,but they are very few.But now I know these points of view are from developed countries at all.I really impressd her words that"Problem with stereotypes is not untrue but imcomplete."

    3,I agree with her opinion. Because sometimes I have prejudice.I think stereotypes are give us images easily,this is why the stereotypes spread through the world. To prevent this prejudice, we should contact interactively.I know the attempt to prevent single story.It is film of Iwo Jima directed by Clint Eastwood.He directed 2 movies.
    "Flags of Our Fathers"is from US viewpoit,and
    "Letters from Iwo Jima"is from Japan viewpoint.
    To know each other,I think this is good attempt.
    About my country's stereotype,I guess there are no Ninjas and Samurais in my country any more.

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  5. 1. It's very interesting. I can learn lots of the other cultures through this site, and I like people's speeches. And also they have Korean subtitle,so I can compare English and Korean. It's very helpful for me.

    2+3. I totally agree with her. As her American roommate, I had also lots of single stories about Africa and other country or cultures.
    For example, for me, Chinese are very dirty, loudly and sneaky. But when I met few Chineses in here, they were very kind, cool and friendly.
    Also before I came here, my family and friends talked about the U.S. They said I have to be careful because the U.S. is very dangerous place. Of course it's true that some places are dangerous but I think it's the same in Korea, too.
    Now I don't have any stereotypes of European and American. They are always so kind and nice to me. I realize that even people have different skin colors and lookings, they are just same people who live in the same planet. Moreover, I don't have any excuse to judge them even though they are from different countries.
    But unfortunately, even Korea held the Olympics and World Cup, many people don't know where is Korea. And some people think that North Korea and South Korea are the same countries. It's very sad but I'm so proud of my country. And I believe that my country can grow more than now.

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