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Asunder in Ohio Vocabulary to despise to become engaged talk me out of it my mind was made up Robert was six years my senior if I accepted a ring from him contact dying to see their first grandchild asunder Factual questions 1. Why did the writer of this letter move out other parents' house? Where did she move? 2. When did she telephone her mother? Why? 3. What did her mother tell her? 4. What does her – husband think she should do? 5. What specific advice does she want? Discussion 1. What is the decision she has to make? 2. The writer says that her parents despised Robert but doesn't explain why. What reasons might they have? 3. Were the parents wise to threaten their daughter? 4. Was the daughter right to marry against her parents' wishes? 5. If someone is going to be hurt, is it better to be this woman's husband or parents? 6. If the daughter hadn't written for Ann Landers' advice, what do you think she would have done on her own? Writing Write a letter to Asunder in Ohio, as if you were Ann Landers, and advise her what to do. Vocabulary to relent to reject a closed door to risk build bridges—not fences From the desk of Ann Landers Dear Asunder, Take the baby and go see them. In time perhaps they will relent and accept Robert. If you reject this invitation, it might mean a closed door for all time. Don't risk it. Now is the time to build bridges—not fences. Discussion 1. Do you think Robert will be hurt by the advice that Ann Landers gives? 2. Give examples of other situations when it might be better to build bridges, not fences. SITUATION 4. Should She or Shouldn't She? Dear Ann Landers, My parents and I have been carrying on a running argument for three months. Will you please try to see all sides of the question and answer it honestly? My boyfriend and I have been going together for over a year. We plan to get married when he finds a job he really likes. I am working but I live at home and have to play room and board. I want to move out of my parents' house and live with my fiancé. We could make it financially with my check added to his. My folks are against it. They say it is immoral. We say it's sensible. We just might find out after we live together awhile that we don't like each other well enough to spend the rest of our lives together. Isn't it better to shack up for a time than to get married, find out you've made a mistake and then get a divorce? How else can two people really learn all about one another's little quirks? What do you say? M. and B. Vocabulary a running argument to see all sides of the question room and board fiancé to make it (im)moral sensible to shack up a divorce a quirk Factual questions 1. How long have the writer and her parents been arguing? 2. What is the first question she asks Ann Landers? 3. How long have M and B been going together? 4. When do they plan to marry? 5. Where is the girl living now? 6. What does she want to do? Why? 7. What do her parents think of the idea? 8. What questions does the girl ask? Cultural notes 1. A change in moral attitudes has occurred in the United States during the last 25 or 30 years. In the past very few couples considered it respectable to live together before marriage. Accurate statistics are difficult to obtain, but the idea has now become common enough so that most people are no longer shocked, although they may still disagree about its appropriateness. Do you think the attitudes of M and B (the younger generation) and the parents (the older generation) are characteristic of the American population as a whole? 2. This girl is working but she is living at home. Her parents have asked her to contribute to the household expenses. Do you think this is often done in American families? What reasons might there be for such an arrangement? Discussion 1. In your country, if you were working but living at home, would you be expected to pay for your room and board? 2. Is it possible for a young unmarried couple in your country to live together? Is there a difference in attitude between the younger and the older generations? 3. The writer of this letter argues that living together before marriage is sensible. Her parents argue that it is immoral. Why are they not likely to come to an agreement? Writing Write a reply, as if you were Ann Landers, in which you answer the girl's question: "What do you say?" From the desk of Ann Landers Dear M. and B., Sorry, but shacking up isn't the same thing as being married. Moreover, the evidence is on the other side. A recent survey showed that couples who lived together before marriage had a higher divorce rate than those who didn't play house before the ceremony. And what's more, the divorces tended to be filed within the first two years of these marriages. Vocabulary evidence a survey to play house a ceremony to tend to file (a divorce) Discussion 1. Ann Landers refers directly to the parents' moral argument by making an undefined distinction between "shacking up" and "being married." Her main argument, however, is based on statistical information which challenges the "sensible" viewpoint of the girl. Do you think this is the answer she expected or hoped for? Has Ann Landers tried "to see all sides of this question and answer it honestly"? 2. What attitudes does Ann Landers reveal by using an image of childhood behavior: "play house before the ceremony"? Situation 5. Housework IS Work Dear Ann Landers, We have three children, eight, seven, and five years of age. I am busy cleaning, cooking, baking, marketing, doing the laundry, mending, canning, taking care of the yard, and keeping two cars washed and waxed. I drive the kids to Sunday school, piano lessons, dental appointments, etc. I am not complaining, Ann. I actually enjoy my life, but my husband is making me miserable with his insistence that I go out and get a job. He keeps yelling, "Everybody's wife is working but you!" Do I have to get pregnant again so he'll let me stay home? Please tell me if I am "not up on the latest," as my husband insists. I feel awfully inadequate. Lima, Ohio Problem Vocabulary marketing the laundry mending canning waxed dental appointments to complain miserable insistence pregnant to be up on the latest inadequate Factual questions 1. How many children does this woman have? How old are they? 2. Name some of the things she has to do as a housewife. 3. Does she like doing these things? 4. What does her husband want her to do? Why? Do they need the extra money? 5. Is she pregnant again? 6. Why does she feel "awfully inadequate"? Cultural note Is the husband exaggerating when he says that "everybody's wife is working"? Find out how many women in the United States held some kind of job outside the home in 1980. Language use "Everybody's wife is working but you" is a generalization. This is a common technique of argument. To generalize means to form an opinion on the basis of only a few facts. The husband has not actually counted the number of wives working. He simply generalizes from a small number of cases that he knows about. Here are some common generalizations you may hear. How true do you think each one really is? Women are the world's worst drivers. There's no fool like an old fool. The French are great lovers. There are more beautiful girls in Texas than in any other state. You can't teach an old dog new tricks. Discussion 1. Do you think it is a good idea for a mother of three children—5, 7, and 8—to work outside of the home? 2. Child-care centers are increasingly common in the United States. These are places in the local community where pre-school children can be taken care of while the mother is working. Are child-care centers necessary, or available, in your country? 3. In your country are wives expected or allowed to work? Does a husband feel embarrassed or ashamed if his wife has a paying job outside the home? Does a wife feel embarrassed or ashamed if she as well as her husband works? Writing Write a letter, as if you here Ann Landers, in which you state your opinion about the problem from Lima, Ohio. From the desk of Ann Landers Dear Lima, Apparently it's your husband who is "not up on the latest." Tell him that Lincoln freed the slaves in 1861. The way I figure it, your husband would have had to shell out $50,000 a year if he had to pay for the services you are performing. Tell Mr. Money-Hungry that Ann Landers says he's in a semi-conscious state, and I hope he'll put a rubber band around his head and snap out of it. Vocabulary to shell out semi-conscious a rubber band snap out of it Cultural note Ann Landers is mistaken about the date when Lincoln freed the slaves. Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation in the middle of the Civil War on January 1, 1863. Slavery was not completely ended until the Thirteenth Amendment to the Constitution was adopted in 1865. Does this mistake affect your opinion of Ann Landers? Discussion 1. Is it fair to equate a wife and mother with a slave? 2. How do you suppose Ann Landers arrived at the figure of $50,000 a year? What do you think Mr. Money-Hungry's response to this figure will be? SITUATION 6. Male Mixes up mail Dear Ann Landers, Don't chew me out. Just tell me what to do. I have two “best” girls, one in the Midwest, another here in town. The in-town girl is visiting relatives on the West Coast. I wrote to them both last night. It was late and I was tired. After I wrote the letters, I decided to walk to the corner and drop them in the mailbox. This morning I have a terrible feeling that I put the letter to the blonde in the envelope addressed to the redhead. The redhead is really Numero Uno and if she receives the blonde's letter, I am in real trouble. Can you think of something I can do before the bomb drops? Dunderheads Factual questions 1. How many "best" girls does the writer have? 2. Where does each one live? 3. Why did he write to the girl who lives in his hometown? 4. What did he do after he wrote the letters? 5. What does he think may have happened? Language use 1. What is the style of this letter? Direct? Casual? Why would the writer use this style? 2. How old do you think the letter writer is? What expressions does he use that support this? Discussion 1. What does the writer want Ann Landers to tell him? 2. What is the writer really worried about? Losing both girl friends? Looking stupid? 3. What do you think the boy will do if "the bomb drops"? 4. What suggestions do you have for Dunderhead—in case the bomb does drop? 5. What is the obvious way to avoid this kind of mistake? 6. What kind of person do you think Dunderhead is? Would you want him as a friend? A boyfriend? Vocabulary to chew someone out Numero Uno a dunderhead From the desk of Ann Landers Dear Dunderhead, Sorry, I can't think of a thing. Next time don't write to anybody when you're tired. And make it a rule never to mail a letter until you've let it sit overnight. Discussion 1. Do you feel that Ann Landers' reply will disappoint Dunderhead? Why? What kind of advice did he want? 2. Can you think of something that Dunderhead might do? Writing A. Assume that you have mixed up two letters in the same way as Dunderhead. The first envelope, addressed to your best friend, should contain a letter in which you have written a very detailed account of your first date with a new girl/boy. The second envelope, addressed to your old girl/boyfriend, should contain a letter explaining why you can't come visit that weekend. Write both letters. B. Using Dunderhead's letter as a model, write a letter to Ann Landers asking for advice. Assume that you have mixed up two letters in the same way as Dunderhead. Decide what their contents might be. (For example. Letter 1 might be a highly personal letter about your spouse, written to a very close friend. Letter 2 might be a thank-you note to your gossipy neighbors for their contributions to a local charity.) Write Ann Landers for advice. Assume that you are a middle-aged, middle-class citizen. Use a formal style of writing that contrasts with the informal style of Dunderhead. SITUATION 7. Dieting Diners Hurt Hostess Dear Ann Landers, I had a dinner party recently and invited five couples, I worked hard because I wanted everything to be just right. Two of my guests brought their own "dinner" in a jar. It was some kind of diet concoction. I was angry and thought they had a lot of nerve accepting my dinner invitation when they knew they weren't going to eat anything. I told them how hard I had worked preparing the dinner and urged them to "fall off the wagon" for just that meal, but they wouldn't do it. I finally decided to be a good sport, but deep down I was hurt. What do you think of such guests, and how would you have handled it? Still Burning Factual questions 1. How many people were invited to the writer's dinner party? 2. What did two of the guests bring? Why? 3. How did the writer feel? 4. What did she try to do first? 5. What question does she ask Ann Landers? Language use 1. The writer encloses the word dinner within quotation marks. Why does she do this? How does she feel about her guests' diet concoction? 2. The original idiom "to be on the (water) wagon" means to refrain from drinking alcoholic beverages. In this letter, the idiom has been extended. Why are the two guests "on the wagon"? What are they refraining from? What does their hostess urge them to do? Vocabulary a jar diet a concoction to have a lot of nerve to fall off the wagon a good sport Still Burning Discussion 1. Was it fair or polite of the hostess to encourage her guests to give up their diet especially for her dinner? 2. The writer says she was "a good sport." What does she mean? When are you a good sport? 3. The writer admits that she was angry and hurt. Apparently her anger continued, since she signed her letter "Still Burning." Do you think her anger was justified? 4. Assume that there are certain foods which, for health or religious reasons, you can't eat. What should you do if you are invited to someone's home for dinner? From the desk of Ann Landers Dear Burning, Guests who are on special diets should say so when they are invited out. If I were the hostess and dieters appeared with their own "dinner," I'd say nothing and permit them to "drink their dinners" as inconspicuously as possible. (I would never attempt to get them to "fall off the wagon" or make them feel guilty for sticking to their diets.). Vocabulary inconspicuously to stick to something Discussion 1. Do you think the writer will be satisfied with Ann Landers' answer? Explain. 2. Ann Landers says she wouldn't want to make her guests "feel guilty." How could she avoid this? SITUATION 8. College Plans Go Up in Smoke Dear Ann Landers, Our 16-year-old daughter started to smoke last Christmas. It killed me to see that lovely girl with a cigarette in her mouth. I told her how I felt, Martha continued to smoke, saying "It's my life," etc. I told her if she didn't stop smoking, I wouldn't send her to college. She agreed to quit. Last night I smelled cigarette smoke on Martha's breath. She confessed she had broken her word. Now I must make good my threat. Martha is unusually bright and wants to teach handicapped children. I am working full-time to put her older sister through school and would do the same for Martha. My husband's salary is good, but with inflation eating us up we could never educate the girls unless I pitched in. My theory is that if smoking is more important than college, I am a fool to work to put Martha through. Your opinion is wanted. Freeport Woe Factual questions 1. Who is the writer of this letter—Martha's mother or father? How do you know? 2. What was Martha doing that was so upsetting? 3. Why did Martha agree to stop smoking? 4. Why must the parent now make good the threat? 5. The writer says, "Your opinion is wanted." Opinion about what? Language use The writer says "It killed me to see that lovely girl with a cigarette in her mouth." This exaggeration is understandable and permissible in informal writing and speaking ("My feet are killing me!"), but formal writing should be more precise. How else could she express her distress? Vocabulary to quit to break one's word to confess to make good a threat handicapped to put someone through college inflation to pitch in woe Discussion 1. To bribe is to influence someone to do something by giving favors or gifts. Do you believe it is fair of parents to bribe their children ("Be a good boy and I'll let you stay up an hour longer," or "Clean up your room and I'll give you a dollar")? Is the mother's offer of college in the same category? 2. The agreement between Martha and her mother can be expressed as affirmative statements: The mother will finance the daughter's college education; in return, the daughter will agree to stop smoking. How does this bargain reflect the values of the mother? Of Martha? Do you think the bargain is equal on both sides? 3. Do you agree with the mother's theory? Writing Write a letter to Woe, as if you were Ann Landers, in which you state your opinion. From the desk of Ann Landers Dear Woe, You have painted yourself into a corner by violating two cardinal rules for disciplining children: (1) Never over-promise or over-threaten; and (2) Make sure the punishment fits the crime. Now you must go to Martha and say, "I am opposed to your smoking because it could be extremely damaging to your health. It is also a filthy habit and an expensive one. I withdraw all previous threats, however, and leave the decision up to you." Vocabulary to paint yourself into a corner to violate cardinal the punishment fits the crime to oppose, to be opposed extremely to damage to withdraw previous Discussion 1. What was Martha's "crime"? What sort of punishment would have "fit" this crime? 2. Do you remember being disciplined as a child? What methods did your parents use? Which of these will you use when you're a parent? 3. Are you opposed to young people smoking? What would you do if a younger brother or sister were doing something you thought was dangerous or bad for them? SITUATION 9. In-Laws Demand Helping Hand Dear Ann Landers, Most of the letters that appear in your column come from city people. Please print a problem that might be boring to your urban readers, but farm folks need help too. My husband and I have been married fifteen years. We have five children and we get along fine. The only thorn in my side is my in-laws. They have the farm next to ours and we end up doing all their hard work. Every morning for fifteen years my father-in-law has telephoned my husband before breakfast, or worse, has come over here in person and told my husband what to do, as if he were a small child. If we are at the breakfast table, my father-in-law pulls up a chair and tells him to hurry up. When my in-laws go on vacations, we are expected to do the chores. They cannot do our chores when we go on vacation because they can barely handle their own. So, when we leave town, we have to hire help. I feel they should do the same. My husband has two brothers but they were a lot smarter than he was. They went to college and got away from their parents. It burns me up to listen to them and their wives tell us how comforting it is to know that the folks have somebody near to help them, now that they are getting on in years. We can't move so please don't suggest it, Ann. Just tell me if there is any way to get a grown man to cut himself loose from his parents so he and his family can lead their own lives. Dakota Plight Vocabulary urban a thorn in my side to end up to get burned up to get on in years a plight Factual Questions
Discussion
Writing Write a letter to Dakota Plight, as if you were Ann Landers, and give your opinion about the situation. Vocabulary insoluble to be tried up to compromise hostility From the desk of Ann Landers Dear Dakota, Your problem is as close to insoluble as any I've ever read. Not only is your husband tied up financially with his parents (I'll bet they gave him his farm), but worse, he is tied up emotionally in a way that his brothers are not-which is probably why they left and he stayed. Ask your husband to compromise on one point. He should tell his parents that he can't handle their chores when they take vacations. Suggest that from now on they hire the same man you hire when you go away. If he agrees, it will reduce your hostility. Discussion
SITUATION 10. An Uninvited Guest Dear Ann Landers, What should a person do if he is dining in the home of a friend and he comes upon a foreign substance in the food like, shall we say, a hairpin in the soufflé? This happened to me recently and I said nothing, but it could have been a serious thing. Yesterday I had a similar experience, only it was a worm in a fresh peach which had been sliced and served over ice cream. I was speaking to the hostess when I noticed it. I kept my wits about me, continued to talk, and ate around the worm. If such a thing happens again, what should be done? Do you feel the hostess would want to know? Lost My Appetite Factual questions 1. What recently happened to this letter writer? 2. What was the similar experience yesterday? 3. What did the writer do about it? 4. What is the question that the writer asks? Discussion 1. Is the writer a man or a woman? What evidence do you have for your answer? 2. Have you ever had this kind of experience? If so, describe the circumstances and what you did. 3. If you were the host or hostess, would you expect or want your guests to tell you if anything is wrong with the food that you serve? 4. Would you act differently if this happened in a restaurant? Why? 5. What would you do in a similar situation if you didn't like the food your hostess had prepared? Writing Write a letter, as if you were Ann Landers, that answers the question asked by Lost My Appetite. Language in life Suppose you decide that the answer to the question in the last sentence is: Yes, the hostess would want to know. You might say, "Excuse me, there seems to be a worm in my peach." Suggest other polite ways to tell your hostess this embarrassing information. Suppose this happens in a very expensive restaurant and you are extremely upset. Demand that the management pay for your meal, which has been ruined. Vocabulary to come upon a foreign substance shall we say a soufflé a worm to slice a hostess kept my wits about me appetite From the desk of Ann Landers  Discussion 1. Do you agree or disagree with Ann Landers' advice? 2. Do you think that the answer to the question, "Do you feel the hostess would want to know?", depends on how well the hostess and guest know each other? 3. If the guest eats around the worm, he or she presumably would leave the worm on the plate. In this case, the hostess is likely to see the worm later. Then how do you suppose she will feel? SITUATION 11. Lover’s Language Worries Lover Dear Ann Landers, I have been dating a young man for several years. Dan is everything a girl could want. Well, almost. He is kind, nice looking, considerate, fun to be with, and he makes good money. The only drawback is his grammer. For example, he says "I seen," "youse," "have went," and "between you and I". I bite my tongue when he makes these awful mistakes, especially in the presence of my friends. I don't want to be ashamed of him, Ann, and I don't want to embarrass him either, but I'm afraid one day I might. Is there a chance that we can have a good marriage in spite of this? I am 26 and a college graduate. Dan is 27 and attended a trade school. I do love him, but I fear I'll be a nagging wife – or worse yet, a silent wife who is ashamed of her husband's grammer. Please hurry your answer. He is waiting for mine. York, Pennsylvania Factual questions 1. How long have she and Dan been dating? 2. Why does she like Dan? 3. What is the drawback? 4. What doesn't she want to do? 5. What is she afraid of? 6. What question does she ask Ann Landers? Vocabulary considerate a drawback to bite one's tongue to be ashamed to embarrass a trade school to nag in spite of Language use Note the last line of the letter. Mine is a possessive pronoun. In this case, what does it take the place of? Discussion 1. Have you ever been embarrassed by someone's bad grammar? Are there mistakes in your own language similar to the kinds that upset this girl? Are some kinds of mistakes in your language considered to be more serious than other kinds of mistakes? 2. Do you think that speaking or writing your own language incorrectly can be a drawback in work or business, in social situations, or in a marriage? Explain. 3. How, or by whom, is correctness in your language decided? Do you believe that anything a native speaker says is acceptable, even if it doesn't follow the traditional rules? 4. When you make a mistake while speaking English in class, how do you feel about your teacher correcting you? Would you rather be corrected (1) immediately, (2) after you have finished what you wanted to say, or (3) alone in private? Why? 5. When you're talking with an English-speaking friend, how do you feel about being corrected if you make a mistake? 6. The writer of this letter is a college graduate. The man she wants to marry is not. Do you think this difference in education makes a difference in the success of a marriage? If only one person of a married couple can be college educated, does it matter if it's the husband or the wife? Why? What difference does it make? Writing Now write a reply to York's letter, as if you were Ann Landers. From the desk of Ann Landers Dear York, Dan sounds too good to discard. Ask him if he wants to be corrected – when the two of you are alone, of course. Incidentally, you misspelled the word grammar throughout your letter. It is ar, dear. Perhaps you and Dan are not as far apart as you think. Discussion 1. Do you agree with Ann Landers that Dan is too good to discard? Why or why not? If Dan and York get married, what kind of relationship do you think they will have? 2. What if Dan tells York he doesn't want to be corrected, that he thinks his English is fine? What should she do? What would you do? 3. What things/qualities are most important to a successful marriage, in your opinion? What kind of man or woman is your ideal mate? How would he or she talk, behave, dress, feel, think? SITUATION 12. Hurt by Overheard Word Dear Ann Landers, I'm a 17-year-old guy who needs to know what to do. Right now I'm hurt, mad, insulted, and mixed up. This is the story. I just phoned a girl I like a lot. We've dated some – not much, but I thought she liked me. When I asked her if I could come over after supper, she said, "Wait a minute". She thought she had the mouthpiece of the phone covered but I heard her say, "How can I get rid of this creep? He wants to come over and I don't want him to. "Then she came back on and said, "I'm sorry but I have to go someplace with my parents". I can't avoid this chick because we are in several classes together and we have the same friends. How should I act? Should I let her know that I heard what she said? Double Ears Factual questions 1. Why did the boy telephone the girl? What did he ask her? 2. What did the girl say to him? 3. What did he accidentally overhear her say? 4. Why is he "hurt, mad, insulted, and mixed up?" 5. What questions does he ask Ann Landers? Language use The girl does not want the boy to visit her, but she doesn't want to be impolite and say this directly. She makes up a "white lie." This is a kind of lie that is considered harmless because it is told for the sake of being polite. What is a white lie called in your language? Is it considered socially acceptable? Vocabulary to overhear a guy mixed up to date to come over to get rid of a creep to come back on to avoid a chick Double Ears Discussion 1. If you were the boy, how would you feel? 2. If you were the girl, what would you do? 3. Has this kind of situation ever happened to you? What did you do? 4. Why didn't the girl make up an excuse immediately? Why do you suppose she needed to ask for help? 5. What do you think she might have said if the boy had asked if he could visit her the next night, or if he had asked for a date on the weekend? 6. What do you think Ann Landers will tell Double Ears to do? Writing Write a letter to Double Ears, as if were Ann Landers, and answer his questions. From the desk of Ann Landers Dear Double Ears, Act natural. Don't let on that you heard her. Now that you know how she really feels, keep your distance and turn your attention elsewhere. Discussion 1. Do you agree with Ann Landers' advice? 2. Ann Landers advises Double Ears to "act natural." What does she mean? How should he act the next time he sees the girl? SITUATION 13. TV or not TV? Dear Ann Landers, Ron, is 21 and I am 19. We're newlyweds, and our problem is the TV in the bedroom. Ron likes to lie in bed and watch TV until midnight every night and some nights he watches until 1 AM. I want to turn off the TV at 11 PM because I have to get up at seven for work, and if I don't get eight hours sleep I am very crabby the next morning. Ron gets up at seven too, but he says he doesn't need as much sleep as I do. Anyway, I can't fall asleep while the TV is on, and Ron refuses to turn it off at 11 PM; How can this problem be solved? Don't suggest ear plugs because they hurt my ears. Crabby Factual questions 1. What does Ron like to do every night? 2. What does his wife want to do? 3. How many hours of sleep does his wife need? 4. What happens if she doesn't get this much sleep? 5. Does Ron need as much sleep as his wife? 6. Why can't his wife wear ear plugs? Discussion 1. What does the writer want Ann Landers to tell her to do? 2. What kind of relationship do you think the writer and her husband have? 3. Is Ron willing to compromise? Is Crabby? 4. How do you think this problem can be solved? Vocabulary newlyweds crabby From the desk of Ann Landers Dear Crabby, You have two choices: separate rooms or a 50:50 compromise. (Turn the TV off at 11:00 every other night.) But remember: although a compromise makes a good umbrella, it's a poor roof. Discussion 1. Do you think that Ron will agree to such a compromise? What will happen if there are TV programs which he wants to watch on two consecutive nights? 2. Explain what Ann Landers means when she says, "although a compromise makes a good umbrella, it's a poor roof." Language in life Who has a problem? Ron? Crabby? Both of them? Talk with a partner about what you think Ron and Crabby should do to solve their problem. Assume that Ron and Crabby can't agree on a 50-50 compromise. Crabby decides to sleep in another room. Choose a partner and prepare and present a brief dialogue which dramatizes Crabby's decision and Ron's response. Writing 1. Does a member of your family have a habit that annoys you or makes you crabby? Write about it. What have you tried to do about it? 2. Be honest: Do you think you have a habit that annoys someone in your family? What is it? How does the other family member behave when you do it? SITUATION 14. Calling Collect; Lack of Respect? Dear Ann Landers, My boyfriend, who is 19 years old, moved to another city. I am 17, work part-time and do baby-sitting, so I have money of my own. (I get no allowance.) Lately I've been having terrific hassles with my parents. When Jed calls me collect, they refuse to accept the call, even though I am sitting right there. They just say, "Marianne isn't at home." I don't mind paying for his calls, and as long as it's my money I don't think they have the right to do this. My mother says in her day no respectable boy called a girl collect, and no decent girl would accept such a call. Jed has a job but he's just getting by and the only way we can talk is if I pay on my end. We'd like your opinion on this. The Sound of His Voice Factual questions 1. What is the hassle that this girl has with her parents? 2. Why doesn't Jed pay for his telephone calls? 3. How is his girl friend able to pay for them? 4. Why does the mother refuse to accept collect calls from Jed? Cultural notes 1. A telephone book defines a collect call by explaining: "You may place calls and charge them to the number you are calling, provided the person you are calling agrees to accept the charges." Explain in your own words. 2. Older people often express unhappiness with the current state of the world by comparing the present with the past. They say, "In my day ..." How do you feel when you hear this? Have you ever used this expression? Vocabulary an allowance a hassle to call collect to refuse to accept (not) to mind doing something in her day respectable decent to just get by Discussion 1. Do you think it is proper for a boy to call his girl friend collect? Would it be proper for her to call him collect? 2. If a teenager earns money, should he or she have the right to decide how to spend it? 3. Could the girl send her boyfriend money so he wouldn't have to call collect? Do you think he would be willing to accept cash as easily as he does free phone calls? 4. What do you think the girl wants Ann Landers to tell her? Writing Write a letter to The Sound of His Voice, as if you were Ann Landers, and give your opinion about this hassle. Vocabulary a principle you have a point practically an emergency to demonstrate a lack of i Dear Voice, In principle you have a point. It's your money and if you want to spend it on collect calls from Jed, you should be able to do it. Practically, however, your mother is right. A fellow who would call his girl collect, except in case of emergency, demonstrates a lack of integrity and a surplus of poor judgment. ntegrity ; a surplus From the desk of Ann Landers Discussion 1. In effect, Ann Landers says "In principle you're right, in practice you're wrong." Do you think this response will satisfy the girl? Her parents? 2. Do you agree that a man demonstrates a lack of integrity if he telephones his girl friend collect? Is Ann Landers sexist and old-fashioned? 3. In what situations (from whom) would you accept a collect call? SUPPLEMENTARY READING |