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Task

An Englishman in New York by Sting

Explore the details of the song "An Englishman in New York" and discuss what it means to be "a legal alien" in a foreign country.
Times Square, New York City. Foto.
Times Square, New York City. Image: Jan Ovind / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Before you start the tasks to this song, watch the music video and read carefully through the lyrics of the song.

Translation

Sting in Consert. Photo.
Sting in Consert. Image: Claudio Bresciani / CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

Translate the following words into Norwegian

List words
  1. alien
  2. manners
  3. hero
  4. ignorance
  5. modesty
  6. propriety
  7. notoriety
  8. gentleness
  9. sobriety
  10. combat
  11. confront
  12. enemies
  13. avoid
  14. gentleman
  15. ignorance

Comprehension Questions:

  1. Where is Fifth Avenue and how would you characterize it?

  2. Explain the difference between

    • An alien
    • An illegal alien
    • A legal alien

  3. Discuss and interpret the following phrases:

    • “If, "Manners maketh man" as someone said, then he's the hero of the day”
    • “It takes a man to suffer ignorance and smile”
    • “Be yourself no matter what they say”. Who are "they"?
    • “Modesty, propriety can lead to notoriety”
    • “Gentleness, sobriety are rare in this society”
    • “At night a candle's brighter than the sun”

The UK vs. the USA

Make a table with two columns. Use the USA as a heading for one column and the UK as a heading for the other. List all of the words/phrases you associate with each country or culture in the appropriate column.

Example

The UK

The USA

words/phrases

words/phrases