This document contains summaries and information about several readings and topics: 1) "Polite but Thirsty" by Yaping Tang discusses an author's experiences as a Chinese immigrant adjusting to an unfamiliar American culture. 2) "Friends and Strangers" by Margaret K. Nydell compares Arab and Western concepts of friendship and social interactions. 3) "A Coward" is a short story by Premchand about an Indian man who struggles with whether to go against his father's wishes regarding an inter-caste marriage. 4) "The Blind Men and the Elephant" is a fable about six blind men encountering an elephant and each forming different perceptions based on touching separate parts

2. Additional Readings
• Polite but Thirsty
~Yaping Tang
Friends and Strangers
~Margaret K. Nydell
A Coward
~Premchand
• The Blind Men and the Elephant
A Hindu Fable
~John Godfrey Saxe
Humor

3. Group Members:

4. Polite but Thirsty
-Yaping Tang

5. About the Author
-Yaping Tang
Native of People’s Republic of China
Bilingual educational teacher in U.S.
Extracted essay from MATSOL Currents

6. Contents
Unfamiliar environment
New observations
Coping and adjustment
Social vulnerability
Conclusion

7. Unfamiliar environment
Unaware of the codes of new culture
Remain silent and withdraw from others
Look like deaf mutes, feel dominated

8. New observations
Adventure
Informal behavior of Americans
Direct and openness of Americans
Equality among Americans

9. Coping and adjustments
Feel embarrassed
Psychological suffering
Economic hardship
Academic Pressure

10. Social vulnerability
Fear of being cheated, robbed or injured
Feeling of insecurity
Loss of status

11. Conclusion
Face unfamiliar culture
Try to cope/ adjust
Learning new responses and skills

12. Any Queries…..

13. FRIENDS AND STRANGERS
-Margaret K. Nydell

14. CONTENTS
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
THE CONCEPT OF FRIENDSHIP
RECIPROCAL FAVORS
INTRODUCTION
VISITING PATTERNS

15. About the author
A cross-cultural trainer
Teacher of Arabic
Written several books on the Arabic
language
Lectured on Arab culture

16. CONCEPT OF FRIENDSHIP
According to Arabians
 Someone whose company one enjoys with certain
duties & rights
 Personalized
According to Westerner
 Someone whose company is enjoyed
 Someone who can be asked for help if necessary

17. DIFFERENCE IN EXPECTATION
Leads to misunderstanding
Feeling of being let down
Arabians feels westerner cannot be “true friend”.

18. RECIPROCAL FAVORS
For Arabs
One can never openly refuse friends request
Oral promise has equal values as action
Expects loyalty from friends
For Westerner
No matter about one replies for friend request
Actions are more valued than words

19. INTRODUCTION
For Arabs
Give more information about themselves
Determines social status and connection in first meet
For Westerners
Tend to confine personal information
Share only generalities

20. VISITING PATTERNS
For Arabs
Frequent meeting
No space for privacy
Form of entertainment
For westerners
Keep acquaintances at a distance
Plead for privacy

21. Any Queries…….

22. A Coward
-Premchand

23. Author’s Introduction
Premchand (1881-1936)
One of the greatest author of modern India
Founder of serious short stories in India
New style of fiction

24. Character’s Sketch

25. Keshav
From Brahmin Family
Believed in new ways
Opposed to the old caste customs

26. Prema
From Baniya family
Believed in old ways and traditions
Accustomed to old caste customs

27. Other Characters
Prema’s mother
Prema’s father
Keshav’s father

28. Dear Keshav
I was terribly upset when I heard about the rude and callous way
your father treated mine. Perhaps he’s threatened you too, in
which case I wait anxiously to hear what your decision is. I’m
ready to undergo any kind of hardship with you. I’m aware of
father’s wealth but all I need is your love to content me. Come
tonight and have dinner with us. My mother and father are both
eager to meet you.
I’m caught up in the dream of when the two of us will be joined
by that bond that cannot be broken, that remains strong no
matter how great the difficulties.
Your Prema
Dear Keshav
I was terribly upset when I heard about the rude and callous way
your father treated mine. Perhaps he’s threatened you too, in
which case I wait anxiously to hear what your decision is. I’m
ready to undergo any kind of hardship with you. I’m aware of
father’s wealth but all I need is your love to content me. Come
tonight and have dinner with us. My mother and father are both
eager to meet you.
I’m caught up in the dream of when the two of us will be joined
by that bond that cannot be broken, that remains strong no
matter how great the difficulties.
Your Prema

29. I'm in a terrible quandary about how to answer you. I’ve
been desperate trying to figure out what to do and I’ve
come to the conclusion that for the present it would be
impossible for me to go against my father’s orders. Don’t
think I’m a coward. I’m not being selfish either. But I don’t
have the strength to get over the obstacle facing me.
Forget what I told you before. At that time I had no idea
of how hard it was going to be.
Keshav

30. Critical Analysis
Negative aspect of Hinduism
Male dominant
Discourages inter-caste marriage

31. Any Queries…

32. The Blind Men and the Elephant
A Hindu Fable
John Godfrey Saxe

33. Contents
•About the poet
•Missing stanza
•Explanations of stanzas
•Video
•Moral of the poem

34. Introduction to the poet
John Godfrey Saxe (June 2, 1816-1887).
American Poet
Best known for writing humorous verse and lectures

35. Missing stanza
And so these men of Indostan
Disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
Exceeding stiff and strong,
Though each was partly in the right,
And all were in the wrong!

36. Explanation of the poem
Six blind men go to see the elephant
Each of them approach the elephant one by one
The first man finds the elephant very much like a
wall
The second finds the elephant very much like a
spear
The third thinks it is like a snake
The fourth thinks the elephant is like a tree
The fifth thinks the elephant is like a fan
The sixth thinks the elephant is like a rope

37. What the elephant would look like

38. Moral of the poem
We shouldn’t consider only one aspect of the truth
Things are not always what we think they are
Different people have different perceptions
No one can attain perfect knowledge
We should not consider our point of view only
We should learn all aspects and bring them together

39. Any Queries…….

40. HUMOR
PRESIDENTS AND GIFTS

41. Cultural difference
• Difficult to adopt
• Misunderstanding and misinterpretation

42. Any Queries…….