- 上一篇：献给艾米丽的一朵玫瑰花中艾米丽的性格分析
- 下一篇：浅析《白噪音》中后现代主义特点
In the traditional Chinese family, father was always the centre. And now father is still the owner of the family. It is not because the feudal concept that man is superior to woman, but also for what man has earned is the main source of family’s incoming and usually man earns more money than woman. And woman is responsible for the family house working. Though most household affairs are solved and decided by mother, the most important thing related to the whole family are determined by father. And maybe at present, woman’s role is raising, and they are more independent than before. The status of father in the Chinese family still can not be moved.
Between parents and children, parents are given more privilege and right to control their children. To most Chinese parents, a good child means to be obedient and docile. It is normal for parents to arrange everything for their children, such as which school to attend, which job to choose and even to interfere in children’s marriage.
3.1.2 The Attitude to the Family Members and Their Relationships in America
To Americans, it is normal that parents and children are separate; reunion is abnormal. Parents bring up children and the children continue to raise the offspring, so the aged is expelled to the society.
For the attitude to bring up the children, American parents consider that they have the legal liability, but in a sense, the children should take responsibility for their behaviors. Americans sniff at the concept of filial piety and think it restrains their self-awareness and ego-development. Parents and their children don’t need dependency relationship. In contrast, they should establish a kind of allowance system so as to instill the basic concept of self-dignity and self-love into their children. As a result, although children would be grateful for their parents’ favors, they do not think they have the obligation to pay back. In America, if the parents still live together with their adult children, they should pay board wages and accommodation fee to children. And the same to their adult children who still live with their parents.
The primary purpose of an American family is to advance the happiness, the equality and the freedom of every family member. Americans praise self-centered and deal with the family members and family affairs rationally. For the sake of themselves, they deem that family should make sacrifice. Family’s honor and unity are less important than that in Chinese society. Since equality of opportunity, regardless of birth, is considered as a basic American value, and also, the American desire for freedom from outside control clearly extends to the families, they don’t like to have controls placed on them by other family members. What would be best for the family is not considered to be as important as what would be best for the inpidual.
In an American family, the democratic idea of equality is prevalent. Father and mother have equal right to make decision on family affairs and their children are given right to vote. Nevertheless, their equality as friends also destroys much of the parents’ status as ruler of the family. Some Americans begin to worry that there is too much democracy in the family. Some parents seem to have little or no control over the behavior of their teenage children.
3.2 Differences in Family Education
No matter which country you come from, what nationality you belong to, all think the family is a person’s first school, and the parents are the first teacher. Either in China or in America, either at ancient times or at modern times, family education is always in the most fundamental position. Children are the hope of a nation, and family education is the elementary education for children. Many serious problems have appeared in our education system in recent years. Almost everyone has realized the importance of solving these problems and many people have presented a lot of valuable suggestions. There are many types of family education in the world and each of them shows distinctive features and is closely responsive to its culture. And American family education is the most famous one. There are great differences in the concepts, methods and results of education between America and China.