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Westerns

Westerns

Date: Sep 26 2007

Themes: Pop Culture

Intro

1. Learn Vocabulary - Learn some new vocabulary before you start the lesson.

2. Read and Prepare - Read the introduction and prepare to hear the audio.

There’s something so fascinating about a character who doesn’t rely on anyone and keeps his or her feelings hidden. American culture has captured this image in the character of the cowboy, a man who travels the country with only his horse, looking for…even he’s not sure what. He also has gun fights when necessary.

There’s a whole genre of movies about cowboys called Westerns. But other cultures have similar characters in their folklore and films.

Dialog

1. Listen and Read - Listen to the audio and read the dialog at the same time.

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2. Study - Read the dialog again to see how the vocab words are used.

Mason

Mason

Devan

Devan

Mason:  I’ve been watching a lot of Western movies lately. Have you seen many Western flicks?

Devan:  Yeah, I’ve seen quite a few.

Mason:  Yeah? Like which ones?

Devan:  Um, I like all the Paul Newman, John Wayne old, classic ones. What were you watching?

Mason:  I watched some of the Clint Eastwood ones and Magnificent Seven which, uh, is really one of the classics. Of course, it’s taken from Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. Which I think…It’s funny. There’s a lot of parallels between the Western cowboy and the Japanese ronin, which is kind of like the samurai that didn’t have a master.

Devan:  Interesting, I never thought of it that way before.

Mason:  Yeah, there’s a lot of soul searching there, a lot of silent characters. Obviously they’ve got their weapon and they kind of go about dispensing their own justice.

Devan:  A hero.

Mason:  Sort of, but it’s like the hero with a dark side. It’s not like the hero of a law man.

Devan:  Did you ever want to be a cowboy when you were a kid?

Mason:  I more wanted to be a cowboy when I was like 23 and bought all my cowboy shirts and thought that was cool.

 

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Discussion

Mason and Devan both like classic Western films. One of Mason’s favorite is Magnificent Seven, which is based on Seven Samurai by Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa. He notes that the Western cowboy is a lot like the Japanese ronin, which is a samurai without a master.

Devan had never thought of it quite like that before, so Mason continues. The cowboy and the ronin each has a weapon and administers justice according to his own beliefs. Each is a hero, but not necessarily law-abiding, and often quite dark and silent.

A lot of kids dream about being a cowboy, so Devan asks Mason if he wanted to be a cowboy when he was young. He jokingly says he wanted to be a cowboy in his 20s when he bought a lot of Western shirts, which are quite fashionable at the moment.

In addition to the Japanese ronin, the Argentinians have the gaucho, which is somewhat like a cowboy as well. Is there a cowboy figure in your culture?

 

Comments

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JackRivera

Antarctica

I am very much into western style, so thank you for suggesting this topic ofr discussion. My favorite western movie is Once upon a time, love it.


Love this community, you help me to enrich my vocabulary for my work at  best essay writing service . However, would love to discover more western words.

08:04 AM Feb 23 2017 |

abu_rayah

abu_rayah

Saudi Arabia

in arabian lands.most of men do not fear the dead.this is a fact.Arab are brave.because they live a hard life

07:56 PM Aug 16 2008 |

carlosbertholdi

Brazil

I'm Brazilian and I live roughly 40 kilometers from Argentina and I'm kinda surprised, I didn't knew that  Argentinians have the gaucho, because gaucho is part of my state's traditions and folklore so, that all people from my state, Rio Grande do Sul is called Gaucho even though just a few of us are into the gaucho thing like riding a horse, wear a hat and shit.

The Gaucho figure is like cowboy in US but the weapon is not always revolver, the Gaucho kill his enemies with a kind of machete by slitting the throat and letting his enemy die by choking with his own blood. Scary, isn't it?

02:43 AM Oct 02 2007 |

tracker_21

Turkey

hi    can  we   meet  take  care

10:16 AM Oct 01 2007 |

t k awan

t k awan

Pakistan

No doubt cowboy is reality,but what i saw its character always like a badman,who kidnaps the girl,snatched the ornaments and killed the people,is it the old American History or what but lastly i saw cowboy in Back to the future 3.

10:07 AM Sep 30 2007 |

ahoi

Albania

In the folklore of my country (Albania), to my knowledge, we don’t have figures similar to cowboys.
Westerns are very impressive films, especially those with Enio Morricone’s soundtracks.

09:49 AM Sep 30 2007 |

NancyChocolate

China

Cow Boys is still sounds quite mysterious to me. My cowboby’s imagine is still set on that movie The Legend of Fall and Brad Pitt acting in that movie. He is a typical cowboby in there and look magnificent. If i could be cowboby one day, wow can’t imagine that would be much funny and unforgetful.

07:09 AM Sep 30 2007 |

Nathan_lw

Nathan_lw

China

Cow boys is considered to be one aspect of American culture .I love them very much and moved by their characters with insightful and thoughtful things . i wish I could be a cowboy it is pretty cool

05:43 AM Sep 30 2007 |

CAUCASUS

Azerbaijan

WE HAVE SOME COWBOY IN AZERBAIJAN.LIKE ME .BECOUSE OF MY STRONG

10:54 PM Sep 28 2007 |

Suavian

Suavian

Brazil

It is true! We do have a cowboy like way. Our "gauchos" from the South. 

05:39 PM Sep 27 2007 |

beya

beya

Hungary

I don’t really like these kind of films but my father is a die-hard fan of Winnetou.. :)))
I’m a lover of horrors and dramas.. :))

03:44 PM Sep 27 2007 |

eric.yang

China

hello, .How nice to meet you. I learned Russian once, so I have a favor for Russian culture. I am working at a electronic compoment Inc.,I want to contact with friends from different country. Let me know each other.

08:26 AM Sep 27 2007 |

zeus2006

zeus2006Super Member!

Turkey

Thanks.

07:16 AM Sep 27 2007 |

leeyooly

China

Cool I like those movie

02:31 AM Sep 27 2007 |

zeus2006

zeus2006Super Member!

Turkey

Thanks

 

07:43 PM Sep 26 2007 |

sadegh_152

Iran, Islamic Republic Of

Here, in Iran we have some heros like cowboy.One of the most popular of them is "Rostam".

He was a good and powerful man with a horse and a sabre.

01:29 PM Sep 26 2007 |

shv_2005

shv_2005

India

some actor who has no repotation they will catch on

12:27 PM Sep 26 2007 |

abdeeq

abdeeq

Somalia

G

11:54 AM Sep 26 2007 |

zeus2006

zeus2006Super Member!

Turkey

We used to call them Efe,Dadas in Ottoman age.They were fought against to Ottomans, Greek and the other countries' soldiers all around the Turkey during 1.world war.They were very brave men.You should know your country's history.Ofcourse they were not cowboy but cowboy was just in USA.Everybody writes their heros and we can't forget their heroism.Zeus:)

By the way,just there is a different thing between Cowboy and Efe or Dadaş:Cowboy and USA army fought agains to Indian (they were real owner that land),Efe and Dadaş fought against to our enemies who wants to take part of land from us.I AM PROUD OF THEM.And finally, I guess we need them these days!!!!!!!!!!

 

11:07 AM Sep 26 2007 |

tottiahmed

tottiahmed

Qatar

there's those Arab warriors… It's kinda like cowboys

09:37 AM Sep 26 2007 |

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