"National Treasure": Traditional Characters
What do the Characters treated in the article have to do with Business English?
Stefan Lovgren in Los Angeles
for National Geographic News November 19, 2004
Internet sources provide you the opportunity to improve your business English skills. These sources have been marked. Please regard their requirements for permission and copyright.
Reading the National Geographic Article
>>> http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/98426770.html
The following portrayals do not express author opinion, but serve to provoke reaction and activate critical discussion to increase understanding of cultural differences and elements in business communications.
The film “National Treasure” uses traditional American characters and relates to favorites backgrounds in developing the story. Here is a brief outline of key figures.
Background
The background of: “Centuries ago an order of European Knights amassed a huge treasure of priceless artifacts from around the world.” relates to the cherished image of medieval knights guarding the Christian pilgrims on their pilgrimages to the Holy Land. Seeking to fulfill their religious duty, these knights implement the morals and values of the religion they guard. Resulting from their selfless duty, they open the means to a priceless treasure. This refers to the Crusades where the “knights of old” left to protect pilgrims fulfilling their religious obligations. It connects to images of King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. This connection provides fantasy and fairy tale entertainment.
Freemasons
“the Freemasons, a secret society” The author successfully selects a secret society active in the American society today. While visible, the rites, beliefs and traditions belong more to legend then to the explicit knowledge of outsiders. Visibility of the activities convinces outsiders that the mores and values of the secret society intend to benefit the society it embeds in. The visible values and those alluded to belong to the traditional values that originate from the founding fathers. Common historical knowledge documents that 16% of the founding fathers were Freemasons. The Declaration of Independence contains a core of traditional American values. Some of these values occur in Freemason beliefs and probably the Freemasons influenced the use of these values in the Declaration of Independence. Historically the masons link to the Crusades and famous orders of knights. Massive treasures belong to part of the Oriental Bazaar fantasy of the Crusades. These orders of knights could bequeath this treasure to the (American) Freemasons and spice up the story.
American Ingenuity and Endeavor. Belief in Oneself.
The author chose the character of the great-great-great-great-great grandson of a carriage boy well. This dishwasher to millionaire story takes place in the dreams of Americans and others worldwide. This American Legend while true; belongs to the Great American Dream. A carriage boy belongs to the patriot atmosphere of the original 13 States and is an inherent figure in the literature of the time. He demonstrates the possibility of using native intelligent far beyond that of his masters by learning the secret vows and uses the clues to locate the map. He shows the courage to use his native intelligence to follow this courage, and the belief in himself to crack the codes. Where else should the map be? But- on the back of the Declaration of Independence. This demonstrates the typical American love for expounding the preposterous.
Knights Templar
King Arthur and his Round Table do get into the story in the form of the Knights Templar. Also a secret society. Believed to be do-gooders in the Crusades; and by doing good amassing a huge treasure. This treasure allowed them to assume world power. They and their inheritors may have continued to pull secret puppet strings in the centuries after the Crusades. Maybe still wielding contemporary power. Who knows what a massive treasure will buy? But they suit well for the rumors of a secret power block cursing around. Anyway legend likes to link up the Knights Templar to the Stonemasons of the Gothic Cathedrals who probably are predecessors of Freemason organizations.
Who is your favorite Character, Background or Situation in this article or the film?
America and American tend to polarize Germans and Europeans. Seen from a European vantage point the views about characters, situations or backgrounds appear different and impenetrable. They express different meanings when interpreted with European views, experience, traditions and values.
Pick one of the characters sketched above, or the background outlined. Or pick one that you have discovered in the article or know from the film.
In 100- 150 words:
Describe the literary object.
How does it differ from the traditional American view expressed above?
What does the object express for you?
What does it express about the difference or similarity between American and European (German) culture and beliefs?
Send it to me by email if you would like a reaction.
Does this have anything to do with Business English? You better believe it. First learning about the differences in viewpoints makes it possible to bridge them for your success. Experience shows that some of the differences present significant problems for Europeans. Second it improves your communication because these figures were selected because their influence still pervades. If you understand the influence, then the typical American communication practices become more transparent. It makes it easier to communicate in business. Your project management communication skills improve.
Grammar Insights: Articles a, an, the
English articles reduce in simplicity compared to the equivalents in the European languages. Speakers only have to deal with 3 different articles. Some grammar sources add the “0” article to make a fourth.
This article demonstrates the use of the definite article “the” and indefinite “a”.
Look at the first 6 paragraphs of the article (to the title “Freemasons”).
The author uses primarily the article “the” to discuss specific characters, qualities or objects. If he would use the article “a”; then he would refer to any of a number of possibilities. Reread the paragraphs replace “the” by “a” and see what it makes for a difference in meaning.
Grammar Summary: as an aid to practicing the articles use “the” as a reference to something specific or defined. It must already be defined or the reader obviously knows what the section talks about. Use “an” to refer to a category. It generalizes and refers to the nature or quality of an object.
The “Zero Article” is the use of no article and precludes articles before:
- Mass nouns used to generalize or in general statements. Masses exercise no power in dictatorships.
- the names of many places and people do not need articles. Holland, Germany. Bill Gates, Sun, IBM, California, Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The following links explain more specifics in the use of articles.
From Online English Grammar
Definite Article The Definite Article >>>>
Indefinite Article A/ An Indefinite Article
These exercises from better-english.com improve your use of the articles making texts more precise and accurate. To learn more try the following exercises:
Definite Article “The” The >>>
Try your luck on “The/ A” >>> The/A
Online Help. If you want “public” help or discussion in the text or exercises, feel free to use the blogger as your medium of choice. If you have questions, or need help in using the collaboration platform at Google Docs [Google >> Mehr Text und Tabelle, send me an email at: mailto:Gary_Gabriel@web.de?subject=Online Help
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