ar em pl gs ek s
Preaction
Vu
rd er
in
Discuss the images in pairs. What impression do they give of the British people?
spirit tankesett/tenkjesett keeping up appearances opprettholde en viss levestandard uansett / halde ved lag ein viss levestandard uansett
106
The United Kingdom
The British Spirit The British are known for keeping up appearances, no matter what. They are also known for being very polite in most circumstances. This spirit is illustrated by the slogan “Keep Calm and Carry On”. This slogan is seen by many as a “cute” attitude of the British, but its history is not as cute. “Keep Calm and Carry On” was originally coined for a poster during World War II. This was a time when the government really needed people not to panic and instead to keep up with everyday life. You could say that “Keep Calm and Carry On” is a strategy the British have used for coping with difficult situations, such as the world wars or conquering a quarter of the world but then losing power. If you have ever been through a crisis or a big challenge in your life, you know that sometimes you just have to pretend that everything is normal and move on as usual. This is the spirit of the slogan “Keep Calm and Carry On”.
