Tài liệu The reflection of american values in one of the us all time favorite sitcoms friends

VIETNAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY, HANOI UNIVERSITY OF LANGUAGES AND INTERNATIONAL STUDIES FACULTY OF ENGLISH LANGUAGE TEACHER EDUCATION * * * PHÓ QUỲNH ANH THE REFLECTION OF AMERICAN VALUES IN ONE OF THE US ALL-TIME FAVORITE SITCOMS "FRIENDS”. SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS (TEFL) SUPERVISOR: PHAN THỊ VÂN QUYÊN, M.A. - Ha Noi, May 2011 - ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to send my deepest gratitude to my supervisor – Ms. Phan Thi Van Quyen for her careful guidance and valuable advice. For all her sympathy and patience during the time I carry out this study, I am truly grateful. I would also take this opportunity to express my biggest thankfulness to all my classmates at E1K41, who have always been there for me, supporting me physically and mentally. I want to say a special thank to Ms. Pham Thi Thuy Linh who encouraged me to follow this subject and guided me with my first steps of doing the research; to Ms. Nguyen Thanh Thuy, Ms. Nguyen Vu Xuan Lan, Ms. Nguyen Hong Ngoc, Ms. Truong Hai Ha and Ms. Vi Dieu Thuan for their constant support as well as cooperation in my data collecting procedure. I would like to thank the informants, both Vietnamese and American, who were so generous and willing to help me with the questionnaire. Had it not been for their generosity and concerns for the subject, the study could not be accomplished. Above all, I would like to express my greatest love and gratitude to my parents and my two best friends Ms. Nguyen Hoang Khanh Minh and Ms. Dang Thi Nhu Y for their unconditional caring and thoughtfulness. Without them, I would not have the strength and the will to go to the end of this long challenging road. ii ACCEPTANCE I hereby state that I: Phó Quỳnh Anh from group 071E1- Fast track program, being a candidate for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (TEFL) accept the requirements of the College relating to the retention and use of Bachelor’s Graduation Paper deposited in the library. In terms of these conditions, I agree that the origin of my paper deposited in the library should be accessible for the purposes of study and research, in accordance with the normal conditions established by the librarian for the care, loan or reproduction of the paper. Signature iii ABSTRACT Based on the theoretical background of cross-cultural communication, this study aims at investigating the American values reflected in one of the US all-time favorite sitcoms ―Friends‖, and the differences in the perception of those values between Vietnamese viewers and American viewers. The main instruments of data collection are observation and questionnaire. To succeed in doing this research, the author of the study takes informants‘ social parameters such as age, living area, and knowledge of foreign language(s) into consideration. Besides, their surveyed responses are carefully analyzed to build a general set of viewpoints of the audience on ―Friends‖. It is revealed in the study that ―Friends‖ expresses fully all American values listed in the foundation theory. Furthermore, there are noticeable differences in the perception of those values between Vietnamese viewers and American viewers due to the gap of cultural knowledge. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...............................................................................ii ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................... iv LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES .............................................................. viii CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION.................................................................. 1 I. Statement of Topic................................................................................. 1 II. Significance of the Study....................................................................... 3 III. Aims of Study and Research Questions ................................................ 3 IV. Scope of the Study ................................................................................. 4 V. Overview of the Research Paper ........................................................... 5 CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW ..................................................... 6 I. II. Culture and Cultural Values .................................................................. 6 1. Definition of Culture .......................................................................... 6 2. Components of Culture ...................................................................... 8 3. Cultural Value .................................................................................... 9 American Cultural Values ................................................................... 10 III. The sitcom ―Friends‖ ........................................................................... 19 CHAPTER III – METHODOLOGY ........................................................... 22 v I. Participants .......................................................................................... 22 II. Data collection instruments ................................................................. 23 1. Observation....................................................................................... 23 2. Questionnaire .................................................................................... 23 III. Data collection procedure .................................................................... 24 IV. Data analysis method ........................................................................... 25 CHAPTER IV – RESULTS & ANALYSIS ................................................. 27 Realization of American values reflected in ―Friends‖....................... 27 I. 1. Individual Freedom .......................................................................... 27 2. Self-reliance ...................................................................................... 33 3. Equality of opportunity .................................................................... 36 4. Competition ...................................................................................... 40 5. Hard work ......................................................................................... 46 6. Material wealth ................................................................................. 49 7. Directness, Openness and Honesty .................................................. 51 8. Practicality and Efficiency ............................................................... 54 9. Change orientation ........................................................................... 57 10. Informality ..................................................................................... 60 vi II. 11. Future orientation .......................................................................... 62 12. Time and its control....................................................................... 64 Vietnamese and American viewers‘ perception of the American values reflected in ―Friends‖. .................................................................................. 65 Question 1: Do you find ―Friends‖: Extremely funny/Funny/Not funny? .................................................................................................................. 66 Question 2: Do you have any difficulties while watching ―Friends‖? Language/Background knowledge/None? ............................................... 67 Question 3: Among these listed American values, which one is reflected in ―Friends‖ according to your observation? ........................................... 70 Question 4: Among the values you recognize, which one is the most obviously seen? Which one is the least obviously seen? ......................... 77 CHAPTER V – CONCLUSION ................................................................... 80 I. Summary .............................................................................................. 80 II. Implication ........................................................................................... 81 III. Limitation of the study ........................................................................ 82 IV. Suggestion for further research ........................................................... 83 REFERENCE ................................................................................................. 84 APPENDICES ................................................................................................ 86 vii LIST OF FIGURES AND TABLES Figures Figure 1& 2: The level of hilarity of ―Friends‖ in the view of Page 73 Vietnamese and American audience Figure 3: Difficulties of Vietnamese and American viewers while 74 watching ―Friends‖ Figure 4: American values reflected in ―Friends‖ according to Vietnamese and American viewers Figure 5: The most obviously seen American value according to 77 84 Vietnamese and American viewers Figure 6: The least obviously seen American value according to 85 Vietnamese and American viewers viii CHAPTER I – INTRODUCTION I. Statement of Topic [The gang is hanging out in the coffee shop] Phoebe: I'm going to get a coffee. Anybody want anything? Monica: I'll have a latte. Ross: I'll have a blueberry muffin, with a decaf. Chandler: I'll have a bagel with a little... [Interrupted by Phoebe] Phoebe: You know, I was just being polite. I am not giving you just a random funny story; it is one of the daily conversations among friends in the all-time favorite sitcom series ―Friends‖. If you watch the scene, it will be more vivid and hilarious. In the series, there are tons of situations where you can laugh at, have some fun and enjoy your time; many people agree with that. But there are more than jokes and laughter in the series. Viewers can see friendship being honored; learn lessons about dealing with situations in life, etc. And in the eyes of a young researcher, there are American values reflected in the series. As for the example above, we can see not only politeness (the reason for Phoebe asking if anyone needs anything), but also directness (Phoebe directly says that she was just being polite to her friends) and the self-help spirit (Phoebe expects that her friends should get their own drinks and cake). Many people I know watch ―Friends‖ and conclude: ―Yes, it‘s funny. Then what?‖ or ―The series is just about six people in New York, 1 what‘s the big deal?‖ It seems to me that the sitcom has been seriously misunderstood as some cheap normal sitcom, in which there are some silly situations and jokes. There must be a reason why ―Friends‖ is a huge success of American sitcom industry, is warmly welcomed and eagerly expected for ten years of its broadcast, from 1994-2004, besides the jokes and funny situations. The Los Angeles Times called it "flat-out the best comedy series of the new season", even a British website http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/friends.htm assured that ―Friends‖ is ―one of the last great television phenomenon‘s of the last century‖ and ―has become the "Must" in "Must-See TV" for the NBC network in the USA‖. ―Friends‖ is a sitcom series about six friends in their twenties, with their own troubles, living in New York, where the daily situations in life bring about the lessons and gradually transform them into grownups. Each character carries in themselves the characters of New Yorkers and lives up to their principles which are the manifestations of the American values. In the period of 10 years, the sitcom reflects closely the New York society and its changes over time: jobs are being more important, single life is popular, sexuality is openly discussed, etc. To some extent, ―Friends‖ is one of the valuable sources to study New Yorkers‘ behavior, hence the values they live by. Therefore, ―Friends‖ is the target of my research not for its being funny, but because of its richness in American values that viewers can find in each conversation or action of every episode. 2 II. Significance of the Study Someone may think that the study is not worth doing since it is about funny stories and practical jokes. I see it differently and take the sitcom seriously. First and foremost, the research will give readers an insightful view of the sitcom, which is the hidden value beyond words and jokes. Readers will know about New Yorkers‘ life, their beliefs and values reflected in their words and actions, their favorite topics, their lifestyles, etc. As a result, it would be of great help for American language and culture teachers and learners. The sitcom will enable learners to withdraw lessons from a less academic and head-aching source, yet authentic and useful. The casual and friendly atmosphere of watching this sitcom will make learners feel relaxed and more willing to study American culture. Besides, there have been not many researches on this particular subject; hence mine would be a contribution to the category, and also a reference for those who want to carry out a research in the same field, on the same subject. III. Aims of Study and Research Questions This study aims at finding out the values of Americans in general reflected in the sitcom ―Friends‖, and investigating the perceptions of Vietnamese viewers of the American values reflected in the sitcom. The answers to these questions will help the researcher see the cultural gap between American and Vietnamese. From that, the researcher can suggest the implications for Vietnamese viewers to watch the sitcom effectively and meaningfully, as well as for the use of ―Friends‖ in 3 teaching and learning American and Vietnamese Cross-cultural Communication. In a nutshell, the research is going to find the answers to these questions:  What are the American values reflected in the sitcom “Friends”?  What are Vietnamese and American viewers’ perceptions of the American values reflected in the sitcom “Friends”? IV. Scope of the Study In this study, generally, the researcher aims at the values of the American even though the setting of the sitcom is in New York and the main characters are New Yorkers. Therefore, only the American values mentioned in the literature review are taken into account. Participants are both American and Vietnamese people who have watched fully 10 seasons of the sitcom ―Friends‖. Moreover, because ―Friends‖ was broadcast from 1994 to 2004, about the lives of six New Yorkers from their mid twenties to thirties; therefore, the age of the audience is also in the same range. Consequently, the questionnaires would be delivered to those from the age of 20 to 40 in order to match the age range of the targeted audience of the sitcom. As for Vietnamese viewers, since the language barrier somehow limits their understanding of the sitcom as well as the values in it, the researcher does not have high expectation of them absorbing fully what is hidden underneath the words. The paper will record Vietnamese viewers‘ thoughts of American values as far as they are perceived. 4 V. Overview of the Research Paper The Research Paper consists of chapters: Chapter I: Introduction – an overview of the research paper which contains the research‘s rationale, the aim, the significance and the scope of the study. Chapter II: Literature review – the theoretical foundation for the research. Chapter III: Methodology – detailed methods that have been used and the procedures that have been followed by the researcher. Chapter IV: Findings – the answers to the research questions. Chapter V: Summary – the conclusion for the research and suggestions for the use of ―Friends‖ in studying American studies and Cross-cultural communication. 5 CHAPTER 2 – LITERATURE REVIEW I. Culture and Cultural Values 1. Definition of Culture Many definitions of the term ―culture‖ have been proposed since people started to realize the existence of culture in daily life. In their book Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of the word ―culture‖, and grouped them into three basic senses:  Excellence of taste in the fine art and humanities, also known as ―high culture‖.  An integrated pattern of human knowledge, belief, and behavior that depends upon the capacity for symbolic thought and social learning.  The set of shared attitudes, values, goals, and practices that characterizes an institution, organization or group. In this research, we do not mention ―culture‖ as ―high culture‖, but in the other two senses of meaning. In these senses, there have been many ways of understanding the term ―culture‖ also. Ronald Wardhaugh (1993) shortly and simply defines culture in his book as ―the ‗know-how‘ that a person must possess to get through the task of daily living.‖ This definition is simple but hasn‘t shown the 6 source of culture; it is just the function or the role of culture in a person‘s life. Meanwhile, Kluckhohn (1951) thinks that: Culture is the patterned ways of thinking, feeling and reacting, required and transmitted mainly by symbols, constituting the distinctive achievements of human groups, including their embodiments of artifacts, the essential core of culture consists of traditional (i.e. historically derived and selected) ideas and especially their attached values. He adds the mutual influence between culture and the people. It is true that culture is formed by the people, but it also constitutes the achievements of human groups, decides their actions, thoughts and feelings. Hofstede (1991) extends Kluckhohn‘s definition by purporting that culture is learned from one's social environment and is not genetic. Therefore, Nguyen Quang (1998) introduces that culture is non-natural. It has been created through ―the history of human development‖; hence it ―is not static and is always changing‖. The beliefs and values people have and practice right now is different from the one our ancestors had and did. Overall, the researcher finds the definition by Levin and Adelman (1993) the most informative and precise about the subject: ―Culture is a shared background (for example, national, ethnic, religious) resulting 7 from a common language and communication style, customs, beliefs, attitudes and values.‖ From this definition, we can conclude that different nations or religions in the world have different cultures; and the people‘s behaviors, attitudes and feelings are decided by the culture they are living in. 2. Components of Culture Stephen Moore (1985) claims the components of culture as the followings:  Beliefs: these are general and vague opinions about the world and about the nature of society. For example Christians believe in God and heaven without the need to find evidence of their existence.  Values: these are vague beliefs about what is right and correct in the world, meaning there are certain appropriate forms of action which ought to be taken. For example killing is wrong since every life is precious.  Norms: these are socially expected patterns of behavior. For example when a Japanese bows as a gesture of greeting, the opposite person is supposed to bow back; or an American gestures a handshake, the opposite person is expected to gives out his/her hand to make a handshake too.  Roles: social roles are patterns of behavior expected of a certain person according to his/her occupation or position 8 he/she holds in the society. For instance the role of a chef is to cook well, to know food, to be creative and sensitive with food; therefore, if a chef does not cook well or not have sensitivity with food, other people would be surprised and do not regard him a chef.  Role conflict: A person living in this world holds many different roles in a society. Mr. A can be in the role of a father to his daughter, a managing director in his company, a friend to his friend, etc. These roles are quite separate and complementary but sometimes, they may conflict. For instance a friend of his also works in his department but as a managing director, Mr. A has to fire the friend for low performance at work. If Mr. A fires his friend, he violates the role of a friend which is being supportive and helpful. But if he does not, he violates the role of a managing director which is keeping the good performance of the company.  Status: This refers to the position of a person or social role in the society according to the amount of prestige received from others. In different societies or cultures, the status varies. In Vietnam, they used to love girls with black teeth and honored them more than those with white teeth. In Japan, Samurai warriors received the greatest prestige, only after the Emperor. 3. Cultural Value As stated above, value is one of the components of culture. Here, the word ―value‖ is not understood as the price, money or worth of something, but as in the word ―cultural value‖. 9 In Cambridge Advanced Leaner‘s Dictionary, value is defined as ―the beliefs people have about what is right and wrong and what is most important in life, which control their behavior.‖ As Wikipedia puts it, simply values ―identify those objects, conditions or characteristics that members of the society consider important; that is, valuable.‖ This definition is quite easy to understand, especially when they use the adjective ―valuable‖ to define ―value‖. But I am not quite contented with this circle-definition. Milton Rokeach and socialist Robin William, on the other hand, agree on a more complicated way of understanding the term. To them, ―values are core conceptions of the desirable within every individual and society.‖ They are the ―standards or criteria‖ that orient and determine human‘s behavior such as action, judgment, choice, attitude, and rationalization. The cultural values are something like ―pre-codings‖ which control the individual‘s behaviors in that society. The researcher finds herself in agreement with these authors. Values are shared beliefs among people in one society of the world outside, what is right and wrong. They form the straits of people and guide them to react to each situation in life. II. American Cultural Values Now we know what values are, we would come to the question: What are the American values? This simple-five-word-question is never easy to answer for the fact that American itself is a ―nation of nations‖. From birth, American was known as a multi-cultural country, with a little bit of this and that all over the world. Immigrants came there because of the belief called ―American Dream‖. It was the hope to rise from poverty or modest wealth to great wealth, to live in freedom and 10 democracy, to enjoy the liberty and pursuit of happiness. There were four major waves of immigration to the United States.  The first immigration took place between the 1550s and 1770s, and the first settlers came from England, Spanish and France. Between 1619 and 1808, about 500,000 Africans were brought to the new land for slavery.  The second immigration was between 1820 and 1860. Peasants displaced from agriculture in Europe and artisans made redundant by the industrial revolution were eager to move to the new land.  The third wave began in 1880 and ended in 1914. People moved to the States to find opportunity and stay away from World War I. Several hundred thousand Chinese, Japanese and other Asian also came here to settle down.  The fourth wave arrived in the United State after 1965. A change in the preference system encourages people originated from Latin, Asia come to America. Each race of immigrants coming to the land of liberty brought along its own values. As they lived together, tried to blend in in the new land, their values partly dissolved and formed the so-called common values in the society they were living in and created a ―melting pot‖ America. ―America is God‘s crucible, the great melting-pot where all races of Europe are melting and reforming!... Germans and French, Irishmen and Englishmen, Jew and Russian - into Crucible with you all! God is making the America”( Gerstle. G, 2001) On the other hand, America is also considered a ―salad bowl‖ in which all the ingredients 11 still keep their own tastes and values but together, they make a whole united dish. Therefore, there are no clear-cut American values in the States. Each region will give you a different answer on this topic. And L. Robert Kohls (1984) has a very humorous yet logical way of explaining this ―lukewarm‖ situation is that ―The reason for this decision is itself one very American value—their belief that every individual is so unique that the same list of values could never be applied to all, or even most, of their fellow citizens.‖ Should I have to give a general portrait of a typical American, the six traditional core values would be appropriate to draw that picture. They are: 1. Individual Freedom It originated from the foundation of the country. The earliest settlers came to the North American continent in 1607 to establish colonies that were free from the controls that existed in European societies. By the 1770s, the first 13 colonies were established and they developed their own political and legal systems. A war broke out between the new states and the British government in 1775. With much effort and sacrifice, the British colonial settlers won and declare their independence from England in 1776, and established a new nation – the United States of America. And so, in the Constitution written in 1789, the founders limited the power of the government, emphasized on the individual. The United States came to be associated in their minds with the concept of individual freedom. Scholars and outside observers often call this value individualism, but many Americans use the word freedom instead. 12