ENG 4339 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Blue-Collar Worker, Culture Of The United Kingdom, Harper Lee
Aspects of Great Britain summary
Chapter 1 and 4: Country and people - Identity
The origin of the adjective ‘great’ in the name Great Britain was not a piece of advertising (although
modern politicians sometimes try to use it that way!). It was first used to distinguish it from the
smaller area in France which is called Brittany in modern English.
Geographically the two large islands (and hundreds much smaller ones) are called Great Britain and
Ireland. There is no agreement about what to call all of them together. Politically speaking there are
two states. One of these governs most of the island of Ireland. This state is usually called The
Republic of Ireland. It is also called ‘Eire’ (its Irish language name). Informally it is referred to as just
Ireland or the Republic.
The other state has authority over the rest of the area (the whole of Great Britain, the north-eastern
area of Ireland and most of the smaller islands). Its official name is The United Kingdom of Great
Britain and Northern Ireland. It is usually known by a much shorter name like the UK or the United
Kingdom. But the most common term is ‘Great Britain and Ireland’. But even this is not strictly
correct. It is not correct geographically because it ignores all the smaller islands. And it is not correct
politically because there are two small parts of the area in the maps which have special political
arrangements. There are the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man which are crown dependencies and
not officially part of the UK. Each has a complete internal self-government, including its own
parliament and its own tax system. Both are ruled by a Lieutenant Governor appointed by the British
government.
See below for the national teams in selected sports:
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern
Ireland
Republic of
Ireland
Olympics
Great Britain
Ireland
Cricket
England and
Wales
Scotland
Ireland
Rugby union
England
Wales
Scotland
Ireland
Football
England
Wales
Scotland
Northern
Ireland
Republic of
Ireland
The four nations
People often refer to Britain by another name, they call it England. This is not correct and its use can
make some people angry. England is only one of the four nations in this part of the world. The others
are Scotland, Wales and Ireland. Their political unification was a gradual process that took several
hundred years. It was completed in 1800 when the Irish parliament was joined with the parliament
for England, Scotland and Wales in Westminster so that the whole area became a single state that
was known as the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. However, in 1922 most of Ireland
became a separate state.
Albion comes from a Celtic word and was an early Greek and Roman name for Great Britain. The
Romans associated Great Britain with the Latin word ‘Albus’ meaning white. The white chalk cliffs
around Dover on the English south coast are the first land formations one sights when crossing the
sea from the European mainland.
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Britannia is the name that the Romans gave to their southern British province (which covered
approximately the area of present-day England and Wales). It is also the name given to the female
embodiment of Britain, always shown wearing a helmet and holding a trident (the symbol of power
over the sea, think of Poseidon), hence the patriotic song which begins ‘Rule Britannia, Britannia rule
the waves’. The figure of Britannia has been on the reverse side of many British coins, for more than
300 years.
Briton is a word used to describe a citizen of the United Kingdom. Ancient Britons is the name given
to the people who lived in southern Britain before and during the Roman occupation (AD 43-410).
Their heirs are thought to be Welsh and their language has developed into modern Welsh language.
Caledonia, Cambria and Hibernia were the Roman names for Scotland, Wales and Ireland (in that
same order). Erin is a poetic name for Ireland. The Emerald Isle is another way of referring to Ireland,
evoking lush greenery of its countryside. Just pretend like you understood the sentence. I don’t know
what it means either, so don’t feel like you’re the only retard. Cymru is also a name for Wales.
John Bull is a fictional character who is supposed to personify Englishness and certain English virtues.
You can compare him to Uncle Sam of the USA. His appearance is typical of an eighteenth century
country gentlemen. (Think of Mr Bennet in the novel Pride & Prejudice, or movie. Whatever works
for you). John Bull is a national personification of Britain in general and England in particular,
especially in political cartoons and similar graphic works. He is like America’s Uncle Sam but then
British.
The Bulldog Spirit is a phrase devised during the war and related to Churchill's attitude to "rally the
troops" and the British people during wartime.
The dominant culture of people in Ireland, Wales and highland Scotland was Celtic. That of people of
England and lowland Scotland was Germanic. The difference was reflected in the language they
spoke. People in Celtic areas spoke Celtic languages and people in Germanic areas spoke Germanic
dialects. The nations also tended to have different economic, social and legal systems and they were
independent of each other.
Scottish culture recognition
Several aspects of public life organized differently, notably, law, religion education
The way they speak English
There are many symbols of Scottishness known in Britain
Geographical Identity
People from Liverpool -> Liverpudlians or Scousers
People from Newcastle -> Geordies
People from Manchester -> Manchurians
People from Glasgow -> Glaswegians
People from London -> Londoners
Northerners -> people living in the North of England -> consider themselves being more tough,
honest and warm-hearted than the ‘soft hypocritical unfriendly’ Southerners
The term Cockney has both geographical and linguistic associations. Geographically and culturally, it
often refers to working class Londoners, particularly those in the East End. Linguistically, it refers to
the form of English spoken by this group.
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England
Capital: London
Flag: white with a red cross (St. George’s cross)
Plant: rose
Colour: white
Patron saint: St. George
Saint’s day: 23 April
Names: John Smith
Insulting names: bowler hat.
The English are over polite. English mock themselves a lot. They have many meanings of the word
‘sorry’. ‘My home is my castle.’
Wales
Capital: Cardiff
Flag: flag is white and green with a red dragon. The Dragon of Cadwallader.
Plant: leek/daffodil
Colour: red
Patron saint: St. David
Saint’s day: 1 March
Names: David Jones
Insulting names: Dai (welsh for David), taffy.
Instruments: harp
The Welsh are being associated with a great singing ability. They’re small, musical and often referred
to retarded. Owain Glyndwr (Owen Glendower in English) was a national hero for the Welsh. In the
fifteenth century Glyndwr captured all the castles which the English had built to help them rule in
Wales and established and independent Wales with its own parliament. St. David is the only one
born in Wales.
Scotland
Capital: Edinburgh
Flag: blue with white cross (St. Andrew’s cross)
Plant: thistle
Colour: blue
Patron saint: St. Andrew
Saint’s day: 30 November
Names: Ian McConnor
Insulting names: Jocks.
Instruments: bag pipes
The Scots are very careful with money (cheap). Scotland has its own banknotes and own way of
speaking English.
Burn Suppers is a celebration on 25th of January. They read work of the poet Robert Burns (18th
century Scotland’s national poet), wear kilt, sing traditional songs, dance traditional dance called
reels and eat haggis. Which is made from sheep’s heart, lungs and liver.
Northern Ireland
Capital: Belfast
Flag: white with a red cross (St. Patrick’s cross)
Plant: shamrock
Colour: green
Patron saint: St. Patrick
Saint’s day: 17 March
Names: Sean O’Brien
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Document Summary
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