Great Britain

Argument

I have chosen Great Britain because the origin of the English which is spoken, written and taught everywhere in the world is in Great Britain. English is also spoken in America, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, but that seems rather like a dialect because we are being taught in British schools.

I have always wanted to visit this country because beside its language I would like to know its culture, land and civilization. And I think everyone who speaks English would have intended at least once to visit the native country where English is spoken by British themselves.

An important reason for which I want to visit England is that one to find out more about the royal dynasty till now, especially about the Princess’s of Wales life, Lady Diana, called “The Princess of Hearts”.

The English language had a big contribution at the development of England importance as country, since its colonial period, because it was the first international language spoken; although now England lost a lot of colonies, but the native population continues to speak English. The language is an important support in communication’s development on the info way. More than 500 millions people speak English as a mother tongue, but the number of people who learn it as a foreign language is growing, especially in East Europe.

I have seen and I have heard such a lot about England that I don’t like only the language but I also feel attracted by its people who live in this special “kingdom” lead by a Queen.

An interesting thing is the sport, which plays an important role in the British’s life and also many British give an emotional investment in their favourite sports. The most known sport is the football, which has a huge step in front of their enemies, less in the Wales, where rugby conquer the status of national sport.

In Great Britain, are more than 200 of universities and college, any of them with their personal tradition and individuality. There are universities known by every corner of the world: Oxford, Cambridge, etc. with a lot of foreigner students.

An important economic discipline in Great Britain is the tourism. The tourists are attracted by the old buildings from centuries: the Tower of London, Westminster, Exeter, Salisbury, Canterbury, by the important museums: Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum or cities where were born celebrities as: Shakespeare, Byron poet and others as: The Beatles. Another important objectives are Stonehenge and Loch Ness, the home of the Nessie monster.

The televised movies play an important role in the touristic promotion of Great Britain, at the global level. There were filmed the series of Harry Potter and the DaVinci Code which grew the number of visitors and brought important income to the biggest television of Great Britain, BBC.

Great Britain should be visited not only for her touristic beauties, but also to find out more about the civilization which is more developed than in our country.

Precis

My paper looks like a guide, because it introduces you to haunting mountains and tranquil lakes, rolling green hills and wooded valleys, rugged coastlines and peaceful estuaries…to a land of unspoilt natural beauty, where the mood and rhythm of the countryside changes from one region to another, and from season to season.

I have always been fascinated by the Great Britain’s world, a world of beauty, art and power. Is a country like any other, fighting against crime, poverty and trying to maintain the world’s peace.

My paper is structured in two chapters:

- Introduction & History of Great Britain

- The Places of Great Britain

The first chapter contains the British Character which informs us that the British are pride of themselves, they love animals and the sport, and also are famed for their sense of humour. The Welsh are more homogenous than the English, but the Scots character combines the sourness and humour, arrogance and tolerance. The first chapter also contains A Brief History of Great Britain. This subject speaks about the Romans, the Norman Conquest, the Age of Elizabeth, the Age of Empire and the importance of Great Britain in the 20th century.

The second chapter gives all the necessary information about the important and popular historic centres, it also suggests a host of other places to visit, places that are often missed but which give just as much insight into the life and culture of Britain. The tourist, rightfully, wants to see the classic sites, to visit the historic buildings, the university towns, to go on literary and artistic pilgrimages, to enjoy the splendour of castles, gardens and country houses.

For example, only in the London are a lot of objectives which deserve to be visited: British Museum with his antiquities, Big Ben, the clock called after the first clerk who took care of it; Piccadilly Circus, the favourite place for the youth; Buckingham Palace, where the guard changing is a true show; Trafalgar Square with his pigeons or the biggest collection of paintings at the National Gallery; the big dome of Saint Paul Cathedral, the second in the world; the Tower Bridge which offers a wonderful view of Thames; a walk in Hyde Park is just only a reason to enjoy the life and at Covent Garden you can heard the most known voices of the opera.

In Scotland, Highlands is one of the most beautiful world’s places: old castles, romantic ruins, mountain lakes and wonderful mountains. Here, the lakes are numerous, but the most beautiful are Loch Lomond and Loch Ness. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, but the Edinburgh Castle is one of the most attractive Scottish castles.

The Wales is a charming region, where moors alternate with the mountains glacial zones and the people have melodious voices. The main attraction of capital, Cardiff, is the Caernarfon Castle and the Snowdonia National Park.

Whether you are visiting Britain’s cosmopolitan cities with their bright lights and endless entertainment, or exploring historic market towns and quaint little villages, I hope this “guide” will help you make the most of your time here.

I. Introduction & History

The United Kingdom is part of the British Isles, which are situated off the coast of north-western Europe, separated from France by the English Channel and from Belgium, the Netherlands and Scandinavia by the North Sea. There are two main islands: the larger, Great Britain, comprises England, Scotland and Wales: the other, the island of Ireland separated from Britain by the Irish Sea, comprises Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.

THE BRITISH CHARACTER

George Orwell wrote in 1947 that “millions of people in Britain accept as their national emblem the bulldog, an animal noted for its obstinacy, ugliness and impenetrable stupidity.” A foreigner would find the salient characteristics of the common people to be “artistic insensibility, gentleness, respect for legality, suspicion of foreigners, sentimentality about animals, hypocrisy, exaggerated class distinctions and an obsession with sport.”

If that seems contradictory, there’s worse to come. The British embrace marriage more frequently than any other European nation, yet their divorce rate is second only to Denmark’s. On average, they work more hours per week than any other European Community country (43.9 hours for men), yet their productivity is lowest. They laud family life, yet many prefer to send their children off to boarding school as possible and park their aged parents in old people’s homes. They love animals, yet enthusiastically pursue blood sports. They pride themselves on their solidarity in war, yet cling to a divisive class system in peacetime. They are famed for their tolerance and sense of humour.

To the English, the Welsh appear a much more homogeneous group than themselves. The Welsh, for their part, have had to work hard, like many minority nations, to protect their self-esteem and culture from a strong, self-confident neighbor. Within Wales itself, the people seem anything but homogeneous. Many in North Wales, where people from South Waleswhose blood are more mixed and whose habits are thought too anglicized. Whether their preferred tongue is English or Welsh, however, there is no denying that the Welsh are voluble. The English are happy with few words and like to keep strangers at a comfortable distance from themselves.

In contrast, the Scots are seen by the English as “dour”. Though they’d be hard put to justify the claim in a noisy Glasgow pub. The Scots’ principal grievance is that the London-based parliament treats them as second-class citizens, especially when implementing its economic policies. In many ways, the Scots character confuses the English. It combines sourness and humour, meanness and generosity, arrogance and tolerance, sentimentality and hard-headedness.