КЛАССНЫЙ ЧАС - АНАЛИЗ THE LOOK-AWAY SOCIETY
классный час по английскому языку (11 класс) на тему

КЛАССНЫЙ ЧАС - АНАЛИЗ THE LOOK-AWAY SOCIETY

Классный час проводится для учащихся 11-го класса после обсуждения текста “A Friend in Need”.

Т: You know our society has a lot of problems. But I think that one of the main our problem is indifference of people towards each other. Today we are going to analyse this problem. I’ll read you the short article from the newspaper. Listen and be ready to analyse it:

On a crowded street in Portsmouth pedestrians were quietly going about their business when suddenly some men appeared, dragging a 13-year-old girl She fought and screamed, crying for help as the men forced her into a car. N : one did anything; some of the pedestrians did not even stop walking. Wher the car finally sped away, not one of the bystanders even took down the licence number. “Yes, I heard the girl screaming,” one man said later, “but I didn't take any notice.”

The incident was staged with the help of the local police, who played the kidnappers. It was filmed by a TV company and was afterwards broadcast nation wide. “This lack of interest in crimes happening right next to us is astonishing,” the programme commentator said. To prove this two more films were shown. In one the “thieves” in a jewel robbery ran from the shop with the stolen things in plain view, carrying an injured man whom they threw in the boot of their getaway car. Again no one made a move to interfere and no one noted the licence number. In another incident a pair of “robbers” smashed a shop window and started looting. This time one man, a 35-year-old civil servant, sprang forward to stop one of the looters. No one else moved.

“It’s hard to see”, the commentator concluded, “why the people who witnessed these incidents didn’t realize that the victims needed their help. Why is it that the public doesn’t want to get involved?” (From the Globe). What is your opinion about this?

PI: I suppose it’s symbolic of the way society in these days, when to offer yourself as a witness could land you in long hours spent in courts, and even make you open to threats if you gave evidence in a criminal court.

P2:1 quite agree with him. And, having seen youths in street fights, I can understand why few people care to tell them to stop. Nowadays such youths carry knives, and have no scruples about using them. It may be some satisfaction to someone falling to the ground with a knife in his back to know that he has broken up a fight, but his pleasure at this may be all too short-lived.

P3: But how would I react? Would I, for example, rush to aid someone who was being attacked although I knew it might mean me getting hurt? I would like to think I would follow my instinct to help. In any case, there is always a telephone box near (undamaged, one hopes), or cars to stop, or a door to knock on.

P4: Society must arouse itself and become involved. That next scream may be yours or — even worse — mine.

T: Very good that you have your own opinion. According to American studies, an individual bystander is more likely to offer help than a group, in spite of feeling safer as part of a group. The explanation for this paradox lies in the strict rules which govern public behaviour. It is considered bad to express emotion or appear a fool. Thus it is very important to keep calm.

P5: Most people are also reluctant to do anything that might draw attention to themselves. In order to help in an emergency, people might have to do something undignified like running to a telephone or giving the kiss of life. This would break these rules of behaviour.

P6: Even more important than this is the finding that in an emergency people observe the people around them and usually behave just as the others do. If they seem to be remaining calm, everyone thinks the situation is less serious than they would if they were on their own.

Р7: Most people would deny that their decision not to do anything was influenced by the behaviour of other members of the group. But experimental evidence tells a different story.

T: In the experiment, given in the newspaper 70 % of the people who were alone when they heard that someone was being attacked in the next room offered to help. But when the conditions were changed by placing with the subject two other people, who appeared unmoved by the noise, only 10% of the subjects offered to help (From “The Observer”).

Please say how would you react? Be honest with yourself! Try to explain your actions and reactions.

• You see someone shop-lifting.

PI, P2, P3 ...

• You see a traffic accident and are asked to be a witness.

PI, P2, P3 .. .

• You are driving in a car in the dark when suddenly you see someone waving for you to stop.

PI, P2, P3 . ..

• You see someone being attacked.

PI, P2, P3 ...

T: Now let’s play a little. (Role-playing)

Many misunderstandings occur because the people who are involved in a situation see it from different points of view. Choose a partner for each of the following two situations — one of you experiences the situation as described under a) the other as described under b). Try to play your role convincingly and provoke your partner into reacting.

Situation 1

1. You are walking along a dark street late at night. Suddenly you see someone lying on the pavement. You rush to the nearest house and try to persuade someone to help you. What do you say?

“Hey, is anyone there?” — ...

2. You are fast asleep in bed. It’s one o’clock. You are woken up by someone banging at the front door. You don’t want to open the door because you are afraid it might be a trick. What do you say?

“What’s the idea, banging on the door at this time of the night?”— . . .

Situation 2

1. You have lost your money and your passport. You haven’t even got enough money left to take the bus to the police station to report your loss. You try and persuade someone at the bus stop to lend you the money.

“Er, excuse me, . . .”

2. You are in a group of people standing at a bus stop, minding your own business, when a young man/woman comes up to you and tries to borrow monev from you. You don't really believe his/her story, but you don’t want to appear rude.
3. “Sorry? I don’t quite understand...”
4. T: Now answer my question: Why do you think people are indifferent to other people’s sufferings?
5. PI, P2, P3 ...
6. T: I think our talk was very useful for you. Try always to be attentive and helpful to each other.