History, Culture, & Tradition in England   Term Paper ID:27443 Click to get this paper

Essay Subject: Examines the cultural, historical, & traditional commonalties which serve to unite the multiplicity of various Britishers into a common Englishman.... More...

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Paper Abstract: Examines the cultural, historical, & traditional commonalties which serve to unite the multiplicity of various Britishers into a common Englishman. Paper Introduction: History, Culture, and Tradition in England Background In thinking about England, or Great Britain, what is striking is the long history that it possesses in relationship to most of the other countries of the world. Although it has fought many wars to retain its sovereignty, it has existed as a separate entity for hundreds of years. That entity, however, has undergone many changes in character, along with changes in the influence of various tribes and peoples. The English Character As Briggs (1983) noted in the preface to his work, although there are many references to an English character, or way of Text of the Paper: The entire text of the paper is shown below. However, the text is somewhat scrambled. We want to give you as much information as we possibly can about our papers and essays, but we cannot give them away for free. In the text below you will find that while disordered, many of the phrases are essentially intact. From this text you will be able to get a solid sense of the writing style, the concepts addressed, and the sources used in the research paper. In addition, the royalfamily still retains great wealth, and access to some of the largest andmost luxurious castles and grounds in the country. Yet, they are not torn down and carted away, butgenerally preserved as a reminder of times past, and times which are stillsomewhat mysterious in character. The most famous of these standing stonesare at Stonehenge, but as Scott Peck (1995) described in his recent book,these standing stones are everywhere, sometimes standing in the middle offarmer's fields. History, Culture, and Tradition in EnglandBackground In thinking about England, or Great Britain, what is striking is thelong history that it possesses in relationship to most of the othercountries of the world. Norton &Company. NY: Hyperion. The empire served as a center, butthe empire is gone. (1983). (1995). It is England that created the global movement of slaves, and theglobal movement of goods and services. Ruling Britannia. Those marks of English prideare no longer available for modern English people to turn toward.What Remains What remains, however, is a cultural, political, and ethnic melting-pot that offers England the same opportunities, and same problems, as thatin the United States. He noted that England is at the center of a very old society, and thatthis is reflected in things around the people and in the way they relate totheir world. Yet, in thinking about contemporary British politics, the royal familyis almost nonexistent. The machinations of the royal family, the sex lives of itsyounger members, and the opinions and fashions of those individualscontinue to create much furor in the country. Yet,there are some qualities, writers like Briggs contend, which serve to unitethe people in a basic national character. The royal family serves as a center of interest, but not as acenter of political power or vision. Perhaps what is moreaccurate is that the old social divisions were becoming more visible andmore protested; certainly, those divisions have always existed. It alsoprovided England itself with both history and tradition, and diversity,change, and movement, as characteristics of its society. Williams and Ramsden (199 ) devote considerableattention to the reign of Queen Victoria, but none to that of QueenElizabeth. While England retains its connection to the older ways, it doesnot allow them to dominate or rule the modern ways.The Modern Era This modern era seems to have stripped England of its character, ormaybe some of the more romantic elements of its character. Also an important element of England's connection with its past is itsroyalty. NY: W.W. What remains is a culture of many centers, and this iswhat contemporary England must build upon, along with the remnants of itshistory. In search of stones: A pilgrimage of faith,reason, and discovery. These immigrants toEngland are not in the same situation as immigrants to the United States.They already possess citizenship, although they are frequently treated asinterlopers anyway. Contemporary England, however, has been associated with the fall fromthe heights, from power, from pride, from wealth, from domination. As noted before, religion has notbeen important to England for quite some time. These are all quite different from each other. In some ways, England has been particularly outstanding for itsreligious and artistic contributions to world culture. References Briggs, A. That provided the foundation forthe development of the polyglot culture of the United States. There are many stocktypes in popular cultural understandings, such as the Colonel Blimp type orpukka sahib, or the young, effete aristocrat, or the cockney, or thetaciturn countryman. In actuallylooking at the history of England, it is very bound up with money, with thedevelopment of mercantilism, capitalism, trade, and imperialism. Although it has fought many wars to retain itssovereignty, it has existed as a separate entity for hundreds of years.That entity, however, has undergone many changes in character, along withchanges in the influence of various tribes and peoples.The English Character As Briggs (1983) noted in the preface to his work, although there aremany references to an English character, or way of being in the world, thischaracter is quite varied and difficult to pin down. The disenchanted Isle. NY: The VikingPress. Whether England still rulesthe seas (which it does not) is irrelevant. And Ramsden, J. While the standing stones are an example of the oldest kind ofhistory, there are many other remnants of past eras in castles and parkswhich have been preserved during this century when taxes and other aspectsof modernity made it difficult for individuals or families to retain them. Williams, G. (199 ). What is unifying is less available. (1995). Part of thatappeal was the very Englishness of both of them. As one example of this, there are the megaliths, or dolmens, that arepreserved throughout England. London:Longman. Elizabeth was lessforeign than many of the English monarchs of that era. This acquires buildings and landthat are deemed to be of historical significance for the country andmaintains them, creating access for the general public. In itsmost recent incarnation, it has been characterized by Margaret Thatcher'scapitalism, which seems to have been at least partially repudiated duringthe most recent election (Dellheim, 1995). Theempire upon which the sun never set is gone. Along with late empire came citizenship forindividuals in far-flung countries and outposts. Much of thecountry's struggle for identity has been rooted in deciding which religioustraditions should dominate. It does not possess great political power, but itpossesses symbolic power, and the power to both fascinate and appall thecitizenry. Some of the county's most famous writers andphilosophers, like John Milton, devoted a great deal of time and volumes ofwork discussing matters both of church and state. A social history of England. Dellheim, C. The country tends to value the old and preserve them,primarily through the National Trust. Peck, M.S. Shakespeare isassociated with a passionate love of England, while Elizabeth is associatewith a beginning of its glorification and ascension to the world pinnacleof power and wealth. Instead, what was becomingcharacteristic was social division and fragmentation. He noted that this was viewed as a problem, since society andculture was perceived as losing its old center. Briggs (1983) noted that England during the 196 s, 197 s, and 198 swas continually moving away from the society of the past, with its emphasison tradition, consensus, conservatism, and uniformity toward a more diversesociety. Shakespeare too has ledto a long-term association of England with great theatre and great acting.Briggs (1983) noted that Shakespeare, and the Queen Elizabeth ofShakespeare's time, seem to have appealed to the English pride in animportant way, and a way that has carried down through time. This cannot serve as acenter. While most other countries in the modern world have eitherdivested themselves of monarchies, or relegated them to far inferiorpositions, England continues to deal with its royal family as a centralaspect of the culture. If this paper is not what you are looking for, you can search again: Search for: or Click here to request an essay written just for you.

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