跨文化交际结业作业
学号：1014120023
姓名：赵紫颀
Life is waiting —— The Terminal
“I’ve been waiting my whole life, just don’t know what the hell for.” In the movie, this is Amelia’s confusion.In everyone’s life, it can be different in details, but the same in eence.
Viktor, a man came from a small country Krakozhia, who was trapped in the airport because of the war in his country.He was waiting, waiting for his freedom, waiting for peace in his country, waiting for the permiion for him to go into America legally and realizing his father’s dream.
Viktor’s father is waiting.He spent 40 years on collecting the signs of the 57 members of his favorite band.After he died, he was still waiting, waiting in heaven, waiting for his son to get the last sign for him.
Frank, director of Customs and Border Protection of JFK, is waiting.Waiting for the old principle’s retiring, and also waiting for Viktor’s leaving.
Amelia, a kind of woman who can get any guy she wants, had waited for a married man’s promise from 18 years old to 39 years old in the hotel.
Enrique, a driver of a restaurant car, who was waiting for a chance of dating with Officer Torres and getting her love.
Gupta, a janitor, who was wanted for aaulting a police officer back in India in 1979, was waiting for going home, for meeting his family.
People in the airport are waiting, some are waiting for picking up; some are waiting for meeting with families or friends; some are waiting for a delayed flight.But there are some people who even don’t know what they are waiting for.Busine man are waiting for big deals so that they can make more money; young ladies are waiting for a perfect husband; students are waiting for getting good grades and being admitted into universities they dreamed; politicians are waiting for a higher position.While waiting, some are working hard to achieve their goals sooner, but some are just wasting time.
While watching the movie, you will find that some plots are seemed to have met before.When Gupta is sitting there to wait for the carele people’s falling down on
the wet floor; when Enrique ask Viktor to help him get some information of the girl he loves, but even has not tried to talk with the girl by himself; when Amelia is in the hotel with her baggage waiting for a call, but never thinks about change the way she lives.Sometimes, you can be unconcerned, timid, and even stubborn, but once it’s time to make effort, you should just put every piece of you in what you are searching for.
Another concern of this movie is American Individualism.People in different countries have different values.These values are decided by their background and culture.Individualism is the dominant idea in America, and Chinese idea is collectivism.Individualism is the very core of American culture and the main value in America.You can see that individualism has been influencing all the fields.The self--reliance, individual freedom, equal competition which are emphasized is different from the concept of individualism in China.Individualism is a western concept, and the origin can be traced back to the period of Renaiance and the Protestant Reformation.In the period of immigration and Westward movement, Individualism was intensified.Although over self--centered can bring negative effect, from the whole historical point of view, there is no big social events which violate the stable situation, this is because the concept of commitment has been in the heart of Americans for a long time.
In this movie, after Viktor lost the food vouchers, he happened to find that he could earn money by collecting trolleys and putting them in lines.That is what Americans praised, to be independent.Viktor could not speak fluent English, but he still tried hard to feed himself.Nowadays, you can see many beggars on the street or the bus, begging others to give him or her some money, even many of them can earn money by working with their hands.
Americans believe that the individual is the atom of the society, independent on others or the collective, the individual right is sacred and cannot be violated.One’s proficiency should be brought to full play, while one’s personal preference and hobbies should have great chance to develop.
In this case Americans are encouraged to be independent even in their childhood.
They form their own opinion, make their own decision, solve their own problem and develop their own originality.When they grow up, they leave home and make a living.The college students support themselves with part-time jobs or scholarship or loan, few of them will depend on their relatives or friends.In the restaurants, even the family members will sometimes pay their own bill.
However, you can not say that Chinese collectivism is not good.Collectivism pertains to societies in which people from birth onwards are integrated into strong cohesive in-groups, which throughout people’s lifetime continue to protect them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty.China is an agricultural culture nation, the farmers live near their lands, and most land link together, so people always inhabit a region and take care of each other, talking about anything.
In fact, the principle of collectivism is “harmony” that our Chinese people are striving for 5000 years.Chinese tend to attach importance to harmony and public responsibility.They are desire to underestimate their skills and contribution to group efforts.They always pursuit the way to be modest, sacrificing under the middle way and harmonious cooperation.And they are easy to obey the authority, respect the elder, unite peers, make promise and try their best to create a harmonious and ordered society.What’s more, for Chinese people, it is vital to obey collectivism and sacrifice individual interests to protect public interests when it is neceary.In a word, the first task for Chinese is to maintenance united county and harmonious society, avoid contradiction and consider others’ feelings all the time.
The last but the most important we should learn from Viktor is that whatever difficulties you meet, don’t lose your faith.Just do as Viktor do, wait and try your best.Don’t give others the chance to look down upon you.
