Analysis of Five Famous Symbols of
American Culture
浅析美国文化的五大象征
Abstract: American culture is unique, Statue of Liberty, American Gothic,
Buffalo Nickel, Uncle Sam and Barbie dolls are five famous symbols of it. Statue of Liberty represents democracy and freedom of American culture.
American Gothic represents the pursuit of diligence of American culture.
Buffalo Nickel represents the pursuit of pioneering spirit of American
culture. Uncle Sam represents the pursuit of patriotism of American
culture. Barbie dolls represent the pursuit of women's liberation of
American culture. Analysis of five famous symbols of American culture
is important for us to know American culture comprehensively.
Key words: Culture Symbol, Cultural Connotation, American Culture
摘要： 美国文化独具特色，具体的表现在其五大文化象征上，即自
由女神像、美国哥特式、野牛镍币、山姆大叔以及芭比娃娃，五大文
化象征分别从对民主自由的追求， 对勤劳耕作、勇于开拓精神的嘉
奖，对诚实爱国等美好品质的肯定，以及女性的独立几个方面多角度
地诠释了美国文化，研究每个文化象征所体现的象征意义有助于更全
面地认识美国文化。
关键词： 文化象征 文化内涵 美国文化
Introduction
World-famous "Statue of Liberty", American style "American Gothic,"
"Buffalo Nickels," the kind and lovely "Uncle Sam" and the popular in
the world "Barbie Dolls" composed of five major cultural symbol of
American culture. They represent American culture from different aspects
and angles and enrich the connotation of American culture. By analysis of
five famous symbols of American culture, we can know the American
culture more comprehensively.
I. Statue of Liberty——the symbol of America
Statue of Liberty is also called”Liberty Enlightening the World”,
dedicated on an island in Upper New York Bay (now is called Liberty
Island).
Statue of Liberty is a gift given to the United States by France in honored
of 100 anniversary of American independence in 1876. It was designed
by French artist Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. It is said that he had used his
wife's arm as the model, but felt her face was too beautiful for the statue.
He needed someone whose face represented suffering yet strength,
someone more severe than beautiful. He chose his mother. Statue of
Liberty wears ancient Greek costumes and wears shining crown that has
seven spikes symbolizing seven seas and four continents.
Statue of Liberty's right hand hold a torch, the torch up to 12 meters.
The left hand holds "The Declaration of Independence". Under her feet
were broken handcuffs, leg irons and chained. Statue of Liberty
symbolizes freedom, break the constraints of tyranny. Statue of Liberty
is the symbol of America, represents freedom and democracy. Millions
of Americans and people who want to become Americans regarded it as
a halidom，inspire themselves to achieve democracy and pursuit freedom.
So the Statue of Liberty symbolizes the pursuit of the spirit of
democracy and freedom in American culture.
II. American Gothic and Buffalo Nickels——the
pioneering spirit of the United States.
2.1American Gothic
"American Gothic" is a painting that was designed by Grant Wood in
1930.Wood saw a gothic-style house in a small town in the south, which
has made a very deep impression on him. So he imagined a farmer and
his daughter standing in front of the house, then took photos of the house
and took it back to his studio. He asked his 62-year-old dentist and his
30-year-old sister as models to put on the clothes of Victorian era in 19th
century, and spent two months to finalize the pair of work. In the painting, the man holds a pitchfork covered with mud. The man and the woman
look very serious. Whether we see it or not, there is no doubt that it is the
only one which has been cultural label in many American paintings. The
major reason is that the peasant man and wife’ expression strongly reflect
the American national spirits ----dare to explore and stand buffer!
2.2Buffalo Nickels
Buffalo nickels is designed by American famous artist James Fraser in
1911, which became a kind of coin between 1913 and 1938.The paintings
on American traditional coin is mainly all previous president. But Buffalo
Nickel didn’t follow, it print two images (American Buffalo and Native
Americans) which was close to extinguish in American westward
movement to commemorate westward movement. If the "American
Gothic" vividly depicts the image of the ordinary farmer at the beginning
of America , and two pictures on buffalo nickels exhibit national
character in the famous American westward movement. They both
represent that the American people farming industriously and dare to
explore in the development process of American.
III. Uncle Sam——the Nickname of America
"Uncle Sam" is just as famous as the Britain's "John Bull ". In
newspapers, magazines, literature and comics of America, we can see his
vivid image. "Uncle Sam" is often portrayed as an old man who is tall,
has a thin face, wears a top hat decorated with stars and wears a tailcoat
and striped trousers. He is white-haired, but hale and hearty.
The image is well-loved by American people. The nickname was
produced in the War of 1812. In Roy of state of New York, there was a
meat packing businessman who was honest, capable, and enthusiastic
about enterprise. The local people affectionately called him "Uncle Sam."
During the war, he served as military inspector in New York and New
Jersey and was responsible for prodding on the beef bucket and barrel. In
January 1812, the governor of New York, visited the factory and saw all
the beef bucket with E.A.-US, then asked what it meant. In a coincidence,
"Uncle Sam" was the abbreviation of US, so a worker jokingly said the
US was "Uncle Sam". From then on, "Uncle Sam" rose to fame. Since
that time the nickname spread far and widely.
There has been a widespread soldier poster that "Uncle Sam" called for
Young Americans in the First World War. It was officially admitted by
American congress as American national symbol in1961.Americans also
regarded Uncle Sam's honesty, hardy virtue and patriotism spirit as their
national pride and common quality.
IV. Barbie Dolls——America Full of Unlimited Energy
Barbie dolls are the most famous and best-selling doll in 20th century,
which is first on display at American International Toy Fair in 1959. And
now Barbie dolls has been sold to more than 150 countries in the word,
whose total sales is up to one billion dollars .The product is made a series
of movies and also adapted to a collection of small games.
The American businesswoman Ruth Handler (1916-2002) is regarded as
the creator of Barbie, and the doll's design was inspired by a German doll
called Bild Lili. World-famous Barbie dolls can stay forever young and
have changing images. The creators can continue to give her life story
and professional history. Barbie has been feted by the fashion world and
an indispensable element of American culture. The creators and toy
companies consider that Barbie is not just a beautiful modern girl. They
have been trying to shape her into a smart, independent and aggressive
time lady. They hope that Barbie can reflect the social development
and feminine progress.
To encourage women to work in the 1960s, Barbie put on administrative
suit and picked up the briefcase that have business cards, credit cards, a
newspaper and a calculator; When the first man landed on the moon,
Barbie became an astronaut; With the entry into the E era, Barbie began
to e-mail her friends; In order to facilitate national unity, toy companies
had launched "Black Barbie", "Latin Barbie", "Japanese Barbie" "China
Barbie", Barbie Dolls are spokesperson of 45 nationalities. Barbie is not
an ordinary girl's toy doll. She taught the women to be independent, to do
their own masters. M.G. Lord, a cultural critic, in "Forever Barbie" ever
said: "As long as she just changes clothes, she can change herself: she
was doing the solo in the spotlight before a minute, the next minute she
became an astronaut."
Barbie is the incarnation of late capitalism femininity; she symbolizes the
American pop culture. Her image, career and life are the desirable goal
for American girls. Therefore, the "Business Week" in the "2001 Best
Global Brands" list commented on the Barbie brand: "She is not only a
doll but also is a symbol of American social culture."
Conclusion
Five cultural symbols explained American culture in some ways. Statue
of Liberty represents democracy and freedom of American culture.
American Gothic represents the pursuit of diligence of American culture.
Buffalo Nickel represents the pursuit of pioneering spirit of American
culture. Uncle Sam represents the pursuit of patriotism of American
culture. Barbie dolls represent the pursuit of women's liberation of
American culture. American culture is unique and quite attractive. It left a
valuable historical and cultural heritage for the world.
Works Cited
[1]Althen，G.American Ways[M]. Intercultural Press，1988.
[2]Kunstao，芭比:从女性玩偶到美国象征[J].当代艺术，2007,(11).
[3]Moreno.B, The Statue of Liberty[M].Arcadia Publishing, 2004.
[4]Sexton P T, Our" Uncle Samuel" and His IOU’S [J]. The North American Review, 1896: 249-252.
[5]Susan J.Dickey, We girls can do anything-right Barbie! [J]. Survey of Barbie Doll Fashions, 2001,(1).
[6]爱德华C·斯图尔特，美国文化模式--跨文化视野中的分析[M].
百花出版社，2000.
[7]端木义万,美国文化透视[M].南京大学出版社，1999:52.
[8]郭谊,中西文化导论[M].中国物资出版社，1995.
[9]何顺果,美国史通论[M].学林出版社,2001.
[10]胡文仲.跨文化交际与英语学习[M].上海译文出版社，1988.
[11]胡文仲.试论跨文化交际研究[J].语言文学应用，1992,(3).
[12]吕叔湘.中国人学英语[M].商务印书馆，1980.
[13]汤丽娜,芭比一个商业奇迹[J].看世界，2003,(4).
[14]王宗炎，美国英语与美国文化[M].长沙湖南教育出版社,1998.
[15]许力生,跨文化交际英语教程[M].上海外语教育出版社,2004.
[16]袁明,美国文化与社会十五讲[M].北京大学出版社，2004.
[17]郑树棠,新视野大学英语[M].外语教学与研究出版社，2002.
Analysis of Five Famous Symbols of
American Culture
浅析美国文化的五大象征
Abstract: American culture is unique, Statue of Liberty, American Gothic,
Buffalo Nickel, Uncle Sam and Barbie dolls are five famous symbols of it. Statue of Liberty represents democracy and freedom of American culture.
American Gothic represents the pursuit of diligence of American culture.
Buffalo Nickel represents the pursuit of pioneering spirit of American
culture. Uncle Sam represents the pursuit of patriotism of American
culture. Barbie dolls represent the pursuit of women's liberation of
American culture. Analysis of five famous symbols of American culture
is important for us to know American culture comprehensively.
Key words: Culture Symbol, Cultural Connotation, American Culture
摘要： 美国文化独具特色，具体的表现在其五大文化象征上，即自
由女神像、美国哥特式、野牛镍币、山姆大叔以及芭比娃娃，五大文
化象征分别从对民主自由的追求， 对勤劳耕作、勇于开拓精神的嘉
奖，对诚实爱国等美好品质的肯定，以及女性的独立几个方面多角度
地诠释了美国文化，研究每个文化象征所体现的象征意义有助于更全
面地认识美国文化。
关键词： 文化象征 文化内涵 美国文化
Introduction
World-famous "Statue of Liberty", American style "American Gothic,"
"Buffalo Nickels," the kind and lovely "Uncle Sam" and the popular in
the world "Barbie Dolls" composed of five major cultural symbol of
American culture. They represent American culture from different aspects
and angles and enrich the connotation of American culture. By analysis of
five famous symbols of American culture, we can know the American
culture more comprehensively.
I. Statue of Liberty——the symbol of America
Statue of Liberty is also called”Liberty Enlightening the World”,
dedicated on an island in Upper New York Bay (now is called Liberty
Island).
Statue of Liberty is a gift given to the United States by France in honored
of 100 anniversary of American independence in 1876. It was designed
by French artist Frederic Auguste Bartholdi. It is said that he had used his
wife's arm as the model, but felt her face was too beautiful for the statue.
He needed someone whose face represented suffering yet strength,
someone more severe than beautiful. He chose his mother. Statue of
Liberty wears ancient Greek costumes and wears shining crown that has
seven spikes symbolizing seven seas and four continents.
Statue of Liberty's right hand hold a torch, the torch up to 12 meters.
The left hand holds "The Declaration of Independence". Under her feet
were broken handcuffs, leg irons and chained. Statue of Liberty
symbolizes freedom, break the constraints of tyranny. Statue of Liberty
is the symbol of America, represents freedom and democracy. Millions
of Americans and people who want to become Americans regarded it as
a halidom，inspire themselves to achieve democracy and pursuit freedom.
So the Statue of Liberty symbolizes the pursuit of the spirit of
democracy and freedom in American culture.
II. American Gothic and Buffalo Nickels——the
pioneering spirit of the United States.
2.1American Gothic
"American Gothic" is a painting that was designed by Grant Wood in
1930.Wood saw a gothic-style house in a small town in the south, which
has made a very deep impression on him. So he imagined a farmer and
his daughter standing in front of the house, then took photos of the house
and took it back to his studio. He asked his 62-year-old dentist and his
30-year-old sister as models to put on the clothes of Victorian era in 19th
century, and spent two months to finalize the pair of work. In the painting, the man holds a pitchfork covered with mud. The man and the woman
look very serious. Whether we see it or not, there is no doubt that it is the
only one which has been cultural label in many American paintings. The
major reason is that the peasant man and wife’ expression strongly reflect
the American national spirits ----dare to explore and stand buffer!
2.2Buffalo Nickels
Buffalo nickels is designed by American famous artist James Fraser in
1911, which became a kind of coin between 1913 and 1938.The paintings
on American traditional coin is mainly all previous president. But Buffalo
Nickel didn’t follow, it print two images (American Buffalo and Native
Americans) which was close to extinguish in American westward
movement to commemorate westward movement. If the "American
Gothic" vividly depicts the image of the ordinary farmer at the beginning
of America , and two pictures on buffalo nickels exhibit national
character in the famous American westward movement. They both
represent that the American people farming industriously and dare to
explore in the development process of American.
III. Uncle Sam——the Nickname of America
"Uncle Sam" is just as famous as the Britain's "John Bull ". In
newspapers, magazines, literature and comics of America, we can see his
vivid image. "Uncle Sam" is often portrayed as an old man who is tall,
has a thin face, wears a top hat decorated with stars and wears a tailcoat
and striped trousers. He is white-haired, but hale and hearty.
The image is well-loved by American people. The nickname was
produced in the War of 1812. In Roy of state of New York, there was a
meat packing businessman who was honest, capable, and enthusiastic
about enterprise. The local people affectionately called him "Uncle Sam."
During the war, he served as military inspector in New York and New
Jersey and was responsible for prodding on the beef bucket and barrel. In
January 1812, the governor of New York, visited the factory and saw all
the beef bucket with E.A.-US, then asked what it meant. In a coincidence,
"Uncle Sam" was the abbreviation of US, so a worker jokingly said the
US was "Uncle Sam". From then on, "Uncle Sam" rose to fame. Since
that time the nickname spread far and widely.
There has been a widespread soldier poster that "Uncle Sam" called for
Young Americans in the First World War. It was officially admitted by
American congress as American national symbol in1961.Americans also
regarded Uncle Sam's honesty, hardy virtue and patriotism spirit as their
national pride and common quality.
IV. Barbie Dolls——America Full of Unlimited Energy
Barbie dolls are the most famous and best-selling doll in 20th century,
which is first on display at American International Toy Fair in 1959. And
now Barbie dolls has been sold to more than 150 countries in the word,
whose total sales is up to one billion dollars .The product is made a series
of movies and also adapted to a collection of small games.
The American businesswoman Ruth Handler (1916-2002) is regarded as
the creator of Barbie, and the doll's design was inspired by a German doll
called Bild Lili. World-famous Barbie dolls can stay forever young and
have changing images. The creators can continue to give her life story
and professional history. Barbie has been feted by the fashion world and
an indispensable element of American culture. The creators and toy
companies consider that Barbie is not just a beautiful modern girl. They
have been trying to shape her into a smart, independent and aggressive
time lady. They hope that Barbie can reflect the social development
and feminine progress.
To encourage women to work in the 1960s, Barbie put on administrative
suit and picked up the briefcase that have business cards, credit cards, a
newspaper and a calculator; When the first man landed on the moon,
Barbie became an astronaut; With the entry into the E era, Barbie began
to e-mail her friends; In order to facilitate national unity, toy companies
had launched "Black Barbie", "Latin Barbie", "Japanese Barbie" "China
Barbie", Barbie Dolls are spokesperson of 45 nationalities. Barbie is not
an ordinary girl's toy doll. She taught the women to be independent, to do
their own masters. M.G. Lord, a cultural critic, in "Forever Barbie" ever
said: "As long as she just changes clothes, she can change herself: she
was doing the solo in the spotlight before a minute, the next minute she
became an astronaut."
Barbie is the incarnation of late capitalism femininity; she symbolizes the
American pop culture. Her image, career and life are the desirable goal
for American girls. Therefore, the "Business Week" in the "2001 Best
Global Brands" list commented on the Barbie brand: "She is not only a
doll but also is a symbol of American social culture."
Conclusion
Five cultural symbols explained American culture in some ways. Statue
of Liberty represents democracy and freedom of American culture.
American Gothic represents the pursuit of diligence of American culture.
Buffalo Nickel represents the pursuit of pioneering spirit of American
culture. Uncle Sam represents the pursuit of patriotism of American
culture. Barbie dolls represent the pursuit of women's liberation of
American culture. American culture is unique and quite attractive. It left a
valuable historical and cultural heritage for the world.
Works Cited
[1]Althen，G.American Ways[M]. Intercultural Press，1988.
[2]Kunstao，芭比:从女性玩偶到美国象征[J].当代艺术，2007,(11).
[3]Moreno.B, The Statue of Liberty[M].Arcadia Publishing, 2004.
[4]Sexton P T, Our" Uncle Samuel" and His IOU’S [J]. The North American Review, 1896: 249-252.
[5]Susan J.Dickey, We girls can do anything-right Barbie! [J]. Survey of Barbie Doll Fashions, 2001,(1).
[6]爱德华C·斯图尔特，美国文化模式--跨文化视野中的分析[M].
百花出版社，2000.
[7]端木义万,美国文化透视[M].南京大学出版社，1999:52.
[8]郭谊,中西文化导论[M].中国物资出版社，1995.
[9]何顺果,美国史通论[M].学林出版社,2001.
[10]胡文仲.跨文化交际与英语学习[M].上海译文出版社，1988.
[11]胡文仲.试论跨文化交际研究[J].语言文学应用，1992,(3).
[12]吕叔湘.中国人学英语[M].商务印书馆，1980.
[13]汤丽娜,芭比一个商业奇迹[J].看世界，2003,(4).
[14]王宗炎，美国英语与美国文化[M].长沙湖南教育出版社,1998.
[15]许力生,跨文化交际英语教程[M].上海外语教育出版社,2004.
[16]袁明,美国文化与社会十五讲[M].北京大学出版社，2004.
[17]郑树棠,新视野大学英语[M].外语教学与研究出版社，2002.