unit 01

Unit 1: Meet the Characters
Video Story
Introduction
Review the introduction for each of the characters below.

Peter is a thirty-five year-old athletic Canadian who has his own graphic design
company. He is very easy-going and sociable, with a wide circle of friends
including Philip and Gina. He is very close to his dad, Lou. He enjoys cooking
and yoga. He can be a little tactless at times. He hates getting up early.

Lou is a fifty-five-year-old Canadian. He has a moustache and is going bald.
He is a biology professor at the university and is very popular with his students.
He has a very easy-going personality. Lou is a widower. He lost his wife in a
car crash six years ago. He is a family man, and losing his wife has brought
him closer to his son, Peter. He loves golf and reading, but hates housework.

Gina is thirty years old. She has dark brown, curly hair. She was born in Italy,
but moved to Canada with her parents when she was a little girl. She is a
secretary for a telecommunications company. Gina is very loyal to her friends
like Lou and Peter, rather conservative in her values, and just a little shy at
times. She is a great cook and enjoys her yoga class every week. She hates
wasting time.

Sally is a twenty-eight year-old American with a very lively personality. She’s
slim, blonde and pretty. She is a make-up artist for a film company. She has just
moved from Los Angeles to Vancouver with her company. She is staying with her
Uncle Lou until she finds her own apartment. She loves outdoor activities like
snowboarding and hiking, but hates cooking and cleaning. She is a little impulsive
at times, but is also sensitive to other people’s feelings.

Philip is a thirty-eight-year-old Canadian, born in Brazil. He’s tall and
good-looking. He is a stockbroker. Philip is getting over his recent divorce. He
and his former wife have joint custody of their three-year-old son. Philip is a
good friend of Lou and Peter. He is very charming and a little flirtatious at
times. He loves to snowboard and drive fast cars. He hates being bored.

 

Cultural Commentary
Introduction
the Eye on the Street interview about Personalities
Audio and text with photo-still of a forty-five year-old woman from Canada
being interviewed
Interviewer: Sherry, how do you think your best friend would describe you?
Sherry: Hmm. Probably one of the things she would say is that I have a crazy
sense of humour. (laugh) It comes out at the most unusual times.
Interviewer: Really! And what do you like about yourself?
Sherry: I guess I like to think that I’m a very spiritual, caring person. I like to
help other people.
Interviewer: What qualities do you think you inherited from your parents?
Sherry: Probably my sense of humour and my stubbornness or, as I like to
think of it, my determination!
Interviewer: Which side of the family was that from?
Sherry: Actually both. And, hmm, honesty, I suppose. They taught me some
pretty strong values.
Interviewer: What one thing would you change about yourself?
Sherry: I would lose weight. I’m working on that. I quite like myself the way I
am, but I could be about eighteen kilos lighter.
Interviewer: Is there anybody that you really admire?
Sherry: I have a friend in Vancouver. She’s been a wonderful mentor. She's
coping with a mental illness that would disable most people. She’s had a lot
to overcome, but she takes her medication each day, works full-time and is
always so positive about life. I guess I admire her because she’s so strong.
Interviewer: Thank you very much, Sherry.
Sherry: You’re welcome.
Interviewer: Now it’s your turn. Is there someone that you really admire? Ask
yourself why you admire him or her. Has your life changed in any way
since you began to admire this person?

 

Cultural Commentary on Personalities
In North America, people have certain qualities that are liked, respected and
admired. Then there are other qualities in people that are not liked or respected,
but they are accepted and tolerated as long as they don't become too
exaggerated. The characters in the video story demonstrate some of these
qualities:

 

Sally
Sally has a very lively personality, which is a very likeable quality. In addition,
she is sensitive to other people’s feelings, a quality that is respected. She is also
a little impulsive, a quality that is tolerated as long this behaviour doesn’t
irritate others too much.

 

Peter
Peter is easy-going and sociable, both qualities that are very likeable. He can be
a little tactless at times. That is tolerated, unless he becomes too rude.

 

Gina
Gina is very loyal to her friends, a quality that is very respected. Gina is rather
conservative and a little shy. These are qualities that are tolerated as long as
they do not make other people feel uncomfortable.

 

Philip
Philip is very charming, a likeable quality. He’s a little flirtatious at times, and
this is acceptable as long as others don't become offended by his behavior.

 

Uncle Lou
Uncle Lou is very friendly, as well as being devoted to his family, two qualities
that are admired and respected.

 

It is interesting to note from a cultural viewpoint that, when describing any of
these qualities that are not liked, but are accepted, if people say “a little
______,” then the quality appears more acceptable.

 

 

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