Conversation practice

1. Discuss the following cross-cultural questions in sec­tion A. Then continue with the questions for discussion in section B. Work in twos and discuss your opinions. Choose someone to report the overall opinion of the group.

Section A. What family is considered to be the typical one in your country? How are the family roles distributed within a family? What is a "woman's place" and what is a "man's place" in the family? What kinds of activities does your family do to­gether for fun? What are the responsibilities of married children for their aging parents?

Section B. Should the woman's roles be primarily domes­tic, while he supports the family, or should she also be free to pursue a career? If she is employed and they have children, how will the children be cared for? Also, if she is employed and is thus helping to support the family, will her husband become an equal partner with her in the performance of domestic roles?

Is a large family more desirable, or is it better to have only one or two children – or perhaps none at all, considering the population problem in the world and the uncertainties of the times? What methods of family planning and birth control are acceptable?

Should a married couple always be faithful to each other? Or are there circumstances and conditions under which extra marital sexual relations are legitimate?

2. Here are some statements about family life today. Decide whether you strongly agree, mostly agree or dis­agree with them. Give reasons for your answers. Use the following phrases: I quite agree here; Most likely; Absolutely; I couldn't agree more; I should think so; Beyond all doubt; I'm not sure I quite agree; I see nothing exciting in...; I doubt it; There's something in it, but...; On the contrary; Just the other way round, etc.

1) People should not get married unless they are deeply in love.

2) Marriages are better when the husband works and the wife runs the home and cares for the children.

3) Living together before marriage makes a lot of sense.

4) Unhappy couples should not stay married for the sake of the children.

5) Children are better off if their mothers do not work out­side the home.

6) Single women should not have children, even if they want to.

7) When parents divorce, children develop permanent emo­tional problems.

8) Unhappy couples with children should stay together until the children are grown.

9) Unless a couple is prepared to stay together for life, they should not get married.

10) After a divorce, the other should automatically get cus­tody of all children.

11) The kind of head-over-heels romantic love depicted in novels and movies doesn't exist in real life.

12) Intense romantic love is common at the beginning of a relationship, but rarely lasts forever.

3. A lot of marriages break up and the divorce rate is getting higher and higher nowadays. What are the reasons for that? Work in small groups and formulate your opinion on the main reasons for divorce. The following words and phrases may be of help to you: adultery, change in attitudes towards marriage, to sacrifice individual happiness for the sake of chil­dren, to develop spiritually, an irreversible breakdown, to cheat on somebody, to two-time somebody, to drift away from each other.

4. Interview your mother or grandmother asking the fol­lowing questions. Be sure to write down her responses. Report them to the class.

1) Women play many important roles in their lives. Which do you think should be most important?

2) Do you think girls are raised differently than boys? If so in what ways?

3) Should young girls today prepare for a career outside their home? Why or why not?

4) What do you think is the secret to a happy family life?

5) What are the biggest challenges facing families today?

6) What advice can you give me about marriage?

7) What advice can you give me about raising children?

8) If you could relive your life what changes would you make in it?

9) If you were going to give me one piece of advice about my future what would it be?

5. Make up a story or tell a true one describing: a) a well-matched couple; b) a couple on the edge of divorce.

6. Read the dialogues. Say who the participants are, how they are related, how old they might be and what prob­lems they are discussing. What side are your sympathies with? Choose a dialogue to act out.

I

- Look at this room! You are such a slob, I don't believe it.

- Well, why don't you clean it up if you don't like it?

- Why should I clean it up when I never made the mess in the first place? You are just spoiled.

- You are one to be calling me spoiled when you get so up­set over just a few things on the floor. You just want a mother to take care of you.

- Yeah, well if I wanted a mother, it sure wouldn't be one like your mother. I think that's where you learned to be so bossy.

- Don't you talk that way about my mother. She's got more guts than you'll ever have.

- Blood and guts, that's for sure. She reminds me of an army sergeant.

- You think you're really cute, don't you? You are just so cute. You'll have me split my sides laughing.

- Well, you are one to be talking about being cute, sitting there in those rollers. You spoil my appetite.

- Nothing could spoil your appetite, John. You're already so fat that I hear kids make jokes about you every time we go out.

II

-Well, did you have a good time at the party dancing with Betty the whole time?

- Oh, no, are you going to start this again?

- Don't go trying to get out of it. I saw you ogling her, and you wouldn't even give me the time of day.

- I wasn't either ogling her. You just think I'm ogling her be­cause of your own insecurity.

- Me insecure? You're a fine one to be talking. You're one of the most insecure people I know.

- You should go get your head shrunk. You are crazy. No­body in her right mind would get so jealous over nothing like you do.

- I'm the one that's crazy, huh? Who was it last week that was crying on my shoulder over what your boss told you at work?

- You have no right to start bringing that up at a time like this! I wasn't all that upset over that thing the boss said anyway, and if I'd known you were going to use the whole thing against me, I would have just kept quiet.

- Let's just not talk about it anymore, OK? I can't take any more of this.

III

- You know, our son never seems to apply himself.

- Well, it's just that he has so much potential, but it looks like school is a trial for him.

- He said he wanted to go to college, but now all he's con­cerned about is running track and he couldn't care less about his business classes.

-1 know it seems like he doesn't listen to us, but maybe we're missing something.

- No, they don't think it's worth it but my coach even said that I have Olympic potential for the 800 metre race. It's just these classes I can't handle. They know I hate business, but they forced me into it.

- And now look what happened! Your grades are too low to stay in college... maybe you can look at other schools away from here that have a good track program?

V

- Can't you control your own son?

- I'm trying Dad, but we just don't see eye to eye on a lot of things. It's harder than you think.

-What's this I hear about him wanting to run track? Where's that going to get him in the future? He can't get a good job in that for his whole life!

- Well, I'll try to talk to him again, but I guess it's a little too late for this semester.

VI

- My grandson is sure giving his family a headache.

- Little Johnny, I can 't believe he's old enough to be in col­lege already. Time sure flies by!

- Well it seems he doesn't want to be in college at all! He seems to like running. People say he's very good, but I just worry about his future sometimes.

- Gladys, you should relax – he needs to do something he loves right now and he can always settle down later...