WRITTEN ASSIGNMENT

HISTORY AND SOCIETY OF THE UNITED KINGDOM

ESSAY TOPIC: Do you think there is a definable, prototypical English character? Are
the English really different from the inhabitants of the continent?
FOR YOUR ANSWER consider what the compulsory texts add/challenge about
existing preconceptions about the English character.

Paxman, Jeremy. The English: A Portrait of a People. London: Penguin, 1999.

This Is England (Shane Meadows, 2006)

ENGLISHNESS
Firstly I am going to tell you a curiosity I found out on an internet article about Jeremy
Paxmans book. It says that Jeremy Paxman said that he knew why countries like
England should have a collective identity during these times, because those countries
which do best in the world the ones that are safe and prosperous have a coherent
sense of their own culture. And I agree with him because I see Spain as an example of
non-collective identity and we are not being prosperous.
We all have a prototypical English character already; we all believe they have blond
hair, blue eyes, white skin that might be true in some cases, but it mightnt in others.
Nowadays we are able to have knowledge of countries all over the world, but years ago
it was easy to generalize. You can see in the Preface of Paxmans book: Being
English used to be so easy. They were one of the most easily identified peoples on earth,
recognized by their language, their manners, their clothes and the fact that they drank
tea by the bucketload. What is true is that English are considered to be different from
the rest of Europeans. I enjoyed reading Jeremy Paxmans book because he presents the
character of the Englishness along the different historical and social events. He explains
history, but including some interesting anecdotes, the explanation of some habits, how
the English identity is built it makes the piece more entertaining. He makes a clear
differentiation between English, Welsh, Scottish and Irish. Paxman also gives some

justifications for the whys of the English character, like why they are so shy
(universal belief), why they need their space or privacy
This is England was a nice movie to watch, although I have already seen it many times.
Its about Shaun (12 years old boy), who meets some skinheads in the street, they
became friends and all is perfect until Combo arrives. It shows the live and problems of
the lower- mid classes in the early eighties in England. A little boy well educated by her
mother, is being re-educated by a group of racists and an extremist one (Combo).
There is a big difference between the points of view of the English from Jeremy
Paxmans book to the ones that are shown in the movie. Englishmen are usually seen as
honest, serious, shy, quiet, easy going but what we can see in the movie is a society
affected by Nazism ideologies, they are cruel, noisy, always in trouble
To conclude I would like to add that although I liked the movie, I dont like racism. I
liked it because as I said it gives another point of view of the Englishmen, it shows that
they are not as perfect at it is believed.

RAQUEL MORRERES CHARLES