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Blog criado por Bruno Coriolano de Almeida Costa, professor de Língua Inglesa desde 2002. Esse espaço surgiu em 2007 com o objetivo de unir alguns estudiosos e professores desse idioma. Abordamos, de forma rápida e simples, vários aspectos da Língua Inglesa e suas culturas. Agradeço a sua visita.

"Se tivesse perguntado ao cliente o que ele queria, ele teria dito: 'Um cavalo mais rápido!"

quarta-feira, 19 de outubro de 2011

Cartoon: Thanksgiving Dinner

It's  Thanksgiving Day in America, and this cartoon by Clay Bennett from the Chattanooga Times Free Press sums up the mood of the nation. The cartoon is entitled "The Main Course". Normally, the main course of the traditional  Thanksgiving Dinner would consist of roast turkey—but here the turkey has been replaced with a note reading I.O.U. Hence, the downcast expressions on the faces of the family, whose plates are empty.

EXPLANATION

The word 'Jobs' written on the lid of the dish held by the father tells us that the meal is a metaphor for the US economy. Instead of jobs, the American people have got a load of debt. (An I.O.U.—abbreviated from the phrase "I owe you"—is usually an informal document acknowledging debt.) In fact, the US government has spent billions of dollars trying to stimulate the US economy, but to little effect—the unemployment rate remains stuck at 9.6%.

CULTURE NOTE

On the 4th Thursday in November, Americans celebrate the arrival of the first pilgrims in America on the  Mayflower, which set sail from  Plymouth, UK (my home town!) in 1620. It is traditional to have a large family meal with turkey and cranberry jelly, sweet potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
FROM: ENGLISHBLOG

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