A place in society 5Unit 5 A place in society154Teaching suggestions and answer keysStarting point1 Work in pairs and discuss the quotations. Which one do you agree with most?A nation as a society forms a moral person, and every member of it is personally responsible for his society. Thomas Jefferson, US PresidentG enerally, we agree with this because it shows that society and individuals have a reciprocal relationship, to some extent they depend on each other. The nation or society forms a moral person and has a good influence on people. But there are also people who are influenced by negative aspects of society. Meanwhile, it is also the responsibility of every individual to protect the society, because it is everyone’s interests that they are protecting, not the interests of someone else.(☞ Ask Ss to discuss Confucius’ idea of the individual, the family, the country and the world, in relation to this quotation. It appears that Confucius’ idea emphasizes the contribution of individuals to society.)T here is no such thing as society: There are individual men and women, and there are families. Margaret Thatcher, UK Prime MinisterT o the prime minister, the concept of society is probably a myth, and in its place, we actually have a collection of disparate individuals. But of course, there are individuals and families, there is also society. We really don’t agree with this. Maybe she was trying to emphasize that individuals are responsible for their own actions and that they should not blame society when things go wrong.2 Work in pairs. Read the proverbs from different languages and discuss the kind of individual or social values they suggest.•When the cat’s away, the mice will play.The mice will not play when the cat is there because they are afraid of it. This shows fear of authority, or a lack of trust because the mice will only behave when the cat is there.•Let sleeping dogs lie.Dogs can be dangerous so do not wake them up when they are sleeping. This means do not stir up trouble unnecessarily. It shows a value of stability.•Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.If there is a problem, all of the eggs will be affected because they have been kept in one place. This shows the value of prudence or the virtue of taking precautions – some of the eggs should be kept in another safe place.• One swallow doesn’t make a summer.The swallow is a migrant bird that comes to Europe in summertime, but if you see only one that does not necessarily mean that summer has arrived. A single case does not confirm a phenomenon; we need more evidence.• There’s no smoke without fire.Smoke is a sign of fire, so if you see smoke there must be a fire somewhere nearby. This shows the value of being aware of causes and connections.A place in society Unit 5155• Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched. If you count the eggs, that does not necessarily mean every egg will hatch out to become a chicken. Something may happen to some of them. This shows the value of being cautious and having patience until we can be justifiably confident about an outcome.• Too many cooks spoil the broth. Too many people working on a single task, like making thick soup, may mean they have different ways to do it or interfere with each other, so the result may be ruined. This shows the value of having an appropriate number of people for a task, not too many.• Many hands make light work. When many people help, the work will be easy. This shows the value of cooperation and mutual help. • A chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Each link in a chain is important, because the chain will break at its weakest point. This shows that each individual matters, and that all individuals should be strong and competent, or their weakness will affect everybody else.• A house divided against itself cannot stand. If a family or group is divided, it will fall because conflict will make it weak. This shows the value of unity, solidarity and cooperation.• Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt. People may think you are foolish if you say nothing. But if you speak, it will confirm that you are foolish. This shows the value of having few words and being cautious in speech.• Don’t upset the apple-cart. If a cart full of apples is upset, the apples will go everywhere and it will be chaotic. This shows the value of caution and avoiding foolish actions which may have dramatic effects.• Good fences make good neighbours. Fences are partitions between houses and gardens. You will have good neighbours if you respect the boundaries between houses and property, which shows the value of respecting other people’s privacy and of their respect for yours.• The best defence is a good offence. In a conflict, a good defence is to attack your opponent, who will have to defend himself and will find it difficult to attack you. This shows the value of aggression under certain circumstances.• Those who sleep with dogs will rise with fleas. Dogs sometimes have fleas on them and you can catch the fleas if you sleep with the dogs. This shows the value of avoiding bad company or the wrong friends because something bad will rub off on you. • Speak softly but carry a big stick. The big stick would only be used if necessary. This shows the value of using power carefully, and of first treating other people politely and carefully.• You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. Flies will be attracted by honey but not by vinegar. This shows the value of politeness and being agreeable to others because this will bring better results.Unit 5 A place in society156Now decide if you have similar proverbs in Chinese.• 猫儿不在，老鼠造反。