从《绝望的主妇》看中美家庭观英语本毕业论文.doc

XX大学 学 士 学 位 论 文 从《绝望的主妇》看中美家庭观 院系名称： 专 业： 学生姓名： 学 号： 指导老师： XX大学学位委员会办公室制 二〇一 年 月 日Contents 1. Introduction----------------------------------------------------------------------1 2. A Brief Introduction of the Desperate Housewives and Definitions of Family and Family Values -----------------------------------------------------2 2.1. A Brief Introduction of the Desperate Housewives------------------------2 2.2. Definition of Family-----------------------------------------------------------3 2.3. Definition of Family Values--------------------------------------------------3 3. Differences between Family Values of Chinese and Americans Based on the Television Series-----------------------------------------------4 3.1. Differences between Houses of Chinese and Americans---------------4 3.2. Differences between Marital Values of Chinese and Americans-------5 3.3. Differences between Parent-Child relationship of Chinese and Americans------------------------------------------------------------------5 4. Reasons for the Differences between Chinese and Americans Family Values----------------------------------------------------------------------6 4.1. Geography---------------------------------------------------------------------6 4.2, History--------------------------------------------------------------------------7 4.3. Belief---------------------------------------------------------------------------8 Conclusion----------------------------------------------------------------------9 Bibliography----------------------------------------------------------------------11 Acknowledgements--------------------------------------------------------------12 Abstract The Desperate Housewives is one of the typical television series reflecting the lives of American middle-class families. The series demonstrate the family values of Americans in many aspects which are different from that of Chinese. Family is the basic miniature of the social and economic activities, and it is the basic unit that constitutes the society. Family value is the core in the research of cultural values, and it has decisive influence on the behavior of the members in the family. The values of family members have direct effects on people’s behavior and thinking. However, due to the differences of geographical and historical background, religion and belief, Chinese and Americans have their own family values which often cause misunderstandings. A clear and direct contrast between Chinese and American family values can bridge over the communication gap. As a result, people will acknowledge the existence of the two different family values, gradually get familiar with them, admit them and then finally melt them. This paper selects some typical scenes in the series to analyze the differences between Chinese and American family values and the reasons for them. The first part is the introduction which studies the background of the research on family values including present studies at home and abroad, main contents and objectives of this paper. The second part is a brief introduction of the Desperate Housewives and the definitions of family and family values. The third part analyzes the differences between Chinese and American family values from three aspects based on the Desperate Housewives. The fourth part points out reasons for the differences. The last part is a brief conclusion which puts forward how to understand the concepts about family values correctly. This article aims at showing some differences between Chinese and American family values, promoting people’s understanding under the context of globalization, thus it is of great significance to remove misunderstandings in cross-cultural communication. Key words: family values; marital values; parent-children relationship 摘要 《绝望的主妇》是一部反映美国中产阶级家庭生活的典型电视剧，剧中，美国人与中国人的家庭观在很多方面存在差异。家庭是社会经济活动的缩影，是社会组成的最基本的单位。家庭价值观是文化价值研究体系的核心，它对家庭成员的行为起着决定性的作用。家庭成员的价值观念直接影响着他们在社会中的言语和行为。但是，由于地理、历史背景、宗教信仰的不同，不同的民族有不同的家庭价值观。本论文通过比较性探讨，在中美两种截然不同的家庭价值观之间架起了一座沟通的桥梁，使人们了解这两种不同的家庭价值观，逐渐熟悉、接受它们，最后慢慢交融贯通。 本文结合剧中几个典型事例，分析研究了中美家庭观的不同及其原因。第一部分是绪论，主要研究家庭价值观的背景，其中包括国内外的研究现状、本文主要内容及意义。第二部分简要介绍了《绝望的主妇》并简述了家庭及家庭观的定义。第三部分结合《绝望的主妇》从三方面分析了中美家庭观的不同。第四部分指出中美家庭观不同的原因。最后是本文的结论，简述研究的内容，提出如何树立正确的家庭价值观。对中美家庭价值观的差异进行比较分析，目的是帮助人们在跨文化环境下对其进一步了解，避免在交际过程中产生失误，其意义深远重大。 关键词：家庭观；婚姻观念；亲子关系1. Introduction There is a consensus that family, the basic unit of a society, reflects the civilization and prosperity of a nation. From the macro angle, individual values stem from the society, while from micro angle, they originate more from the family. Family values are the core of cultural values, as well as the deepest level of concepts in cultural value system. Therefore, an interpretation of family values is of great significance in cross-cultural communication. It can help people from different countries with different cultures to understand each other’s culture; therefore, to facilitate their communication. In recent years, many researchers have devoted themselves to the research of cross-cultural communication. Various theories and practices concerning family values appear in China, such as family education in China and America, comparative study between Chinese and American marital status, but only a few are to conduct a comprehensive comparison of family values, and an analysis of the reasons for the differences. Zhu Yong Tao, a professor of Beijing Foreign Studies University, analyzed the differences between Chinese and American behaviors and thoughts through the contrast between their family values. Lawrence Stone, Anglo-American historian, has done a comprehensive analysis and study of family values from a historical point of view. Sociological research scholar Wei Zhang Ling’s Comparison of Family Values in China and in America focuses on the similarities and differences of Chinese and American family values as well as their social and cultural roots. With the development of the society, the process of information revolution and the trend of global economic integration, the world’s largest economic entity--America and the world’s largest developing country--China have been closely related to each other in cross-cultural communication. China is a typical representative of Oriental culture, while America is a fusion of Western culture, so the two different cultural entities are sure to embody two different cultural values. Chinese consider collectivism as the core and they believe individual interests should be subordinated to collective interests. However, Americans emphasize individualism, stressing that personal interests are above everything else. Chinese and American families are in different cultural environments; therefore, they are subject to different cultural values, and as a result there are different family values. This paper tries to make a contrastive study between family values in China and in America, including housing, marriage, and parent-child relationship, as well as an analysis of the reasons for the differences. It is beneficial to improve communicative abilities in cross-cultural communication. With the current development of economic and cultural globalization, the research can undoubtedly help people’s further understanding of other country’s family values; therefore, avoid communication errors generated in the process. All in all, the study has profound significance in cross-cultural communication.2. A Brief Introduction of the Desperate Housewives and Definitions of Family and Family Values 2.1. A Brief Introduction of the Desperate Housewives Desperate Housewives is an American television series created by Mare Cherry. Set on Wisteria Lane in the fictional town of Fairview, Eagle State, the series tracts the lives of four housewives (Susan Mayer, Lynette Scavo, Bree Van De Kamp and Gabrielle Solis), following their domestic struggles while several mysteries involving their husbands, friends and neighbors unfold in the background. The tone and style of the series combine elements of drama, comedy, mystery, farce, soap opera and satire. 2.2. Definition of Family Traditionally speaking, family should be defined as a group of people related by blood, marriage or adoption, living together, to form economic ties, to fertilize and to bring up children. According to this idea, families form the continuation through child-rearing. “Family is the basic unit of a society; it is very much like a mirror, reflecting the society’s cultural characteristics, moral beliefs, economic and political relations and other social problems.” Different cultures create different families, which at the same time cause different concepts of families. Consequently, the different concepts of family between China and America are ascribed to different cultural contexts in the two countries. Cultural traditions and family values vary from country to country; therefore, to understand the historical development of Chinese and American families, the basic model, and the relationship among the family members will, undoubtedly, help those who are involved in cross-cultural communication. 2.3. Definition of Family Values Generally speaking, family values, as the core of the value system, not only refer to the family members’ norm of behaviors but also a standard of measuring the norm of conducts. As family values penetrate every family’s daily life, they refer to values that both parents and children in a family should comply with. “We know that the most basic relationship in a family is marital relationship, kinship, affinity, and it also includes the affectional and economic relationship generated from those basic relationships, so education, religion, faith and family financial burden-sharing are all included in the family values.” In addition, family values are political and social beliefs that hold the Nuclear family to be the essential ethical and moral unit of a society, and they are considered as an important part of a country’s traditional cultural values. “Every human group needs not only to adjust to the natural world but also decide and order relationships among members of the group,” Because of the influence of cultural context, the relationships among members of the group and the family values in China and America are completely different. That is, Chinese people advocate collectivism while Americans propagate individualism. 3. Differences between Chinese and American Family Values Based on the Television Series In a family, the basic factors are housing, marriage and parent-children relationship. Any kind of life philosophy, if does not pay attention to these fundamental factors, can not be considered as an appropriate philosophy. American family members pay great attention to the concepts of individual equality, independence, individual rights and family relationship, among which the most prominent concepts are independence and equality. Chinese families focus more on seniority relation, family interdependence, filial piety, and the family happiness of having many children and grandchildren. Cultural differences between China and America lead to their differences in family values, as well as other family-related problems. As a result, it is of great significance to analyze different family values in China and America. 3.1. Differences between Houses of Chinese and Americans At the very beginning of the series, the houses on the Wisteria Lane are shown to the audience. Every house on the Wisteria Lane has a garden and there are usually several dwarf trees around the garden. But we can rarely see enclosing walls around the American houses. Americans usually just use curtains or blinds to isolate their houses from the outside world. As to the inside of the house, Americans emphasize personal space. All the family members must knock the door before they enter other member’s room. In China, most families have high enclosing walls around their apartments. Usually a solid gate separates the indoor from the outside world. Roof is the only thing can be seen from the outside. But inside the house, the rooms are not isolated. Usually Chinese family members can move freely from one room to another without asking for permission. 3.2. Differences between Chinese and American Marital Values In Desperate Housewives, Susan divorces her ex-husband Karl and remarries Mike; Bree has married twice; Gabrielle has a lover while she is in marriage; Both Bree and Lynette attend marriage counseling with their husband, but they never let their parents interfere their marriage. In America, marriage is completely a personal affair. Nobody, including the parents, has the right to interfere in other’s marriage. In Americans’ opinion, people have the right and freedom to choose to live with the person they love and once they find their marriage is a mistake, they also have the right to make another choice. Equal rights are often exercised between husband and wife. They have their own financial support. Family affairs are determined through the consultation of husband and wife. In China, marriage is the primary thing in everyone’s life. Marriage not only means the combination of two people, but also the combination of two families. So everyone should be serious on choosing his or her spouse. And because marriage is important to families, parents usually have their voice in their children’s marriage. Different from Americans, Chinese take marriage as a moral problem. So people who abandon their first spouse to live with another person will receive a public censure. As to the rights and responsibilities in Chinese family, the authority of husband still roots in many Chinese minds. The husband is often considered as the representative and supporter of a family. 3.3. Differences between Chinese and American Parent-Child relationship In Desperate Housewives, the American parent-child relationship is reflected in many scenes. Here are some examples: When the single mother Susan falls in love with Mike, her daughter Julie encourages her to date with Mike and gives her some suggestions for the date; When Bree finds it is her son who knocks down Gabrielle’ mother-in-law, she asks him to admit his mistake; Lynette is a mother of 4 children. Although her sons are very naughty and often make trouble for her, she always educates them in clever way instead of using corporal punishment; In