美国五大文化象征

1、 Analysis of Five Famous Symbols of American Culture浅析美国文化的五大象征Abstract: American culture is unique, Statue of Liberty, American Gothic, Buffalo Nickel, Uncle Sam and Barbie dolls are five famous symbols of it. Statue of Liberty represents democracy and freedom of American culture. American Gothic r

2、epresents the pursuit of diligence of American culture. Buffalo Nickel represents the pursuit of pioneering spirit of American culture. Uncle Sam represents the pursuit of patriotism of American culture. Barbie dolls represent the pursuit of women's liberation of American culture. Analysis

3、of five famous symbols of American culture is important for us to know American culture comprehensively.Key words: Culture Symbol, Cultural Connotation, American Culture摘要： 美国文化独具特色，具体的表现在其五大文化象征上，即自由女神像、美国哥特式、野牛镍币、山姆大叔以及芭比娃娃，五大文化象征分别从对民主自由的追求， 对勤劳耕作、勇于开拓精神的嘉奖，对诚实爱国等美好品质的肯定，以及女性的独立几个方面多角度地诠释了美国文化，研究

4、每个文化象征所体现的象征意义有助于更全面地认识美国文化。关键词： 文化象征 文化内涵 美国文化IntroductionWorld-famous "Statue of Liberty", American style "American Gothic," "Buffalo Nickels," the kind and lovely "Uncle Sam" and the popular in the world "Barbie Dolls" composed of five major cultu

5、ral symbol of American culture. They represent American culture from different aspects and angles and enrich the connotation of American culture. By analysis of five famous symbols of American culture, we can know the American culture more comprehensively.I. Statue of Libertythe symbol of AmericaSta

6、tue of Liberty is also called”Liberty Enlightening the World”, dedicated on an island in Upper New York Bay (now is called Liberty Island).Statue of Liberty is a gift given to the United States by France in honored of 100 anniversary of American independence in 1876. It was designed by French a

7、rtist Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. It is said that he had used his wife's arm as the model, but felt her face was too beautiful for the statue. He needed someone whose face represented suffering yet strength, someone more severe than beautiful. He chose his mother. Statue of Liberty wears ancient

8、 Greek costumes and wears shining crown that has seven spikes symbolizing seven seas and four continents. Statue of Liberty's right hand hold a torch, the torch up to 12 meters. The left hand holds "The Declaration of Independence". Under her feet were broken handcuffs, leg irons and c

9、hained. Statue of Liberty symbolizes freedom, break the constraints of tyranny. Statue of Liberty is the symbol of America, represents freedom and democracy. Millions of Americans and people who want to become Americans regarded it as a halidom，inspire themselves to achieve democracy and pursui

10、t freedom. So the Statue of Liberty symbolizes the pursuit of the spirit of democracy and freedom in American culture.II. American Gothic and Buffalo Nickelsthe pioneering spirit of the United States. 2.1American Gothic"American Gothic" is a painting that was designed b

11、y Grant Wood in 1930.Wood saw a gothic-style house in a small town in the south, which has made a very deep impression on him. So he imagined a farmer and his daughter standing in front of the house, then took photos of the house and took it back to his studio. He asked his 62-year-old dentist and h

12、is 30-year-old sister as models to put on the clothes of Victorian era in 19th century, and spent two months to finalize the pair of work. In the painting, the man holds a pitchfork covered with mud. The man and the woman look very serious. Whether we see it or not, there is no doubt that it is the

13、only one which has been cultural label in many American paintings. The major reason is that the peasant man and wife expression strongly reflect the American national spirits -dare to explore and stand buffer!2.2Buffalo NickelsBuffalo nickels is designed by American famous artist James Fraser in 191

14、1, which became a kind of coin between 1913 and 1938.The paintings on American traditional coin is mainly all previous president. But Buffalo Nickel didnt follow, it print two images (American Buffalo and Native Americans) which was close to extinguish in American westward movement to commemora

15、te westward movement. If the "American Gothic" vividly depicts the image of the ordinary farmer at the beginning of America , and two pictures on buffalo nickels exhibit national character in the famous American westward movement. They both represent that the American people farm

16、ing industriously and dare to explore in the development process of American.III. Uncle Samthe Nickname of America"Uncle Sam" is just as famous as the Britain's "John Bull ". In newspapers, magazines, literature and comics of America, we can see his vivid image. "Un

17、cle Sam" is often portrayed as an old man who is tall, has a thin face, wears a top hat decorated with stars and wears a tailcoat and striped trousers. He is white-haired, but hale and hearty. The image is well-loved by American people. The nickname was produced in the War of 181

18、2. In Roy of state of New York, there was a meat packing businessman who was honest, capable, and enthusiastic about enterprise. The local people affectionately called him "Uncle Sam." During the war, he served as military inspector in New York and New Jersey and was responsible for proddi

19、ng on the beef bucket and barrel. In January 1812, the governor of New York, visited the factory and saw all the beef bucket with E.A.-US, then asked what it meant. In a coincidence, "Uncle Sam" was the abbreviation of US, so a worker jokingly said the US was "Uncle Sam". From th

20、en on, "Uncle Sam" rose to fame. Since that time the nickname spread far and widely. There has been a widespread soldier poster that "Uncle Sam" called for Young Americans in the First World War. It was officially admitted by American congress as American national symbol in1961.A

21、mericans also regarded Uncle Sam's honesty, hardy virtue and patriotism spirit as their national pride and common quality.IV. Barbie DollsAmerica Full of Unlimited Energy Barbie dolls are the most famous and best-selling doll in 20th century, which is first on display at American International T

22、oy Fair in 1959. And now Barbie dolls has been sold to more than 150 countries in the word, whose total sales is up to one billion dollars .The product is made a series of movies and also adapted to a collection of small games. The American businesswoman Ruth Handler (1916-2002) is regarded as the c

23、reator of Barbie, and the doll's design was inspired by a German doll called Bild Lili. World-famous Barbie dolls can stay forever young and have changing images. The creators can continue to give her life story and professional history. Barbie has been feted by the fashion&#

24、160;world and an indispensable element of American culture. The creators and toy companies consider that Barbie is not just a beautiful modern girl. They have been trying to shape her into a smart, independent and aggressive time lady. They hope that Barbie can reflect the social development and

25、0;feminine progress. To encourage women to work in the 1960s, Barbie put on administrative suit and picked up the briefcase that have business cards, credit cards, a newspaper and a calculator; When the first man landed on the moon, Barbie became an astronaut; With the entry into the E era

26、, Barbie began to e-mail her friends; In order to facilitate national unity, toy companies had launched "Black Barbie", "Latin Barbie", "Japanese Barbie" "China Barbie", Barbie Dolls are spokesperson of 45 nationalities. Barbie is not an ordinary girl's to

27、y doll. She taught the women to be independent, to do their own masters. M.G. Lord, a cultural critic, in "Forever Barbie" ever said: "As long as she just changes clothes, she can change herself: she was doing the solo in the spotlight before a minute, the next minute she be

28、came an astronaut."Barbie is the incarnation of late capitalism femininity; she symbolizes the American pop culture. Her image, career and life are the desirable goal for American girls. Therefore, the "Business Week" in the "2001 Best Global Brands" list commented on the Ba

29、rbie brand: "She is not only a doll but also is a symbol of American social culture."ConclusionFive cultural symbols explained American culture in some ways. Statue of Liberty represents democracy and freedom of American culture. American Gothic represents the pursuit of diligence of American culture. Buffalo Nickel represents the pursuit of pioneering spirit of American culture. Uncle Sam represen