On Shaking Hands by A.G. Gardiner

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On Shaking Hands

-- AA. . GG. . GGaarrddiinneerr

Objectives: Objectives:

•

• To help you comprehend the importance of shaking handsTo help you comprehend the importance of shaking hands •

• To make you understand the importance of physical greetings in differentTo make you understand the importance of physical greetings in different

cultures cultures

•

• To sensitize you to other culturesTo sensitize you to other cultures

About the author

Al

Alfrfred ed GeGeororge ge GaGardrdininer er wawas s boborn rn in in ChChelmelmsfosfordrd  ththe e soson n of of a a cacabibinenet!mt!makaker er anandd alco

alcohoholic" As lic" As a a boy he boy he worworked at ked at the Chelmthe Chelmsfosford rd ChrChronionicle cle and the and the #ou#ournernemoumouthth $irectory" %e joined the &orthern $aily Telegraph in '(() which had been founded the $irectory" %e joined the &orthern $aily Telegraph in '(() which had been founded the ye

year ar bebefofore re by by ThThomomas as *u*urvrvis is +i+itztzemema" a" ,n ,n '('(----  he he wawas s apappopoininted ted ededitoitor r of of ththee #lackburn .eekly Telegraph"

#lackburn .eekly Telegraph"

Alfred George Gardiner /'(012'-304 was a #ritish journalist and author" %is essays Alfred George Gardiner /'(012'-304 was a #ritish journalist and author" %is essays wri

written undtten under the er the penpen!na!name Alpme Alpha of ha of the *louthe *loughgh  are highare highly regardly regarded" ed" %e was %e was alsalsoo Chairman of the &ational Anti!5weating 6eague an advocacy group which campaigned Chairman of the &ational Anti!5weating 6eague an advocacy group which campaigned for a minimum wag

for a minimum wage in industrye in industry" " 5ome of his essay5ome of his essays are *rophets *ris are *rophets *riests and 7ingests and 7ingss /'-8(4*illars of 5ociety The .ar 6ords *ebbles on the 5hore.indfalls 96eaves in the /'-8(4*illars of 5ociety The .ar 6ords *ebbles on the 5hore.indfalls 96eaves in the .indThe Anglo!American uture.hat , saw in Germany: letters from Germany and .indThe Anglo!American uture.hat , saw in Germany: letters from Germany and Austria and 6ife of George Cadbury include his later works"

Austria and 6ife of George Cadbury include his later works"

Pre-reading Activity

Discuss the following in pairs or groups:

'"

'" .hat d.hat do you o you do to do to greet thgreet these peopese people when le when you myou meet them eet them after a loafter a long timng time;e; a4

a4 your your friends friends b4 yb4 your famour family mily members! embers! cousins cousins of yof your aour age c4 ge c4 your your family family members!members! uncles and aunts or grannies

uncles and aunts or grannies <"

<" .he.hen somen someone comone comes and sayes and says what yos what you do custou do customarmarily at yoily at your homur home is wronge is wrong how do you react;

how do you react; ="

=" .hat d.hat do yoo you knou know abow about shaut shaking king hands; hands; .hom .hom do ydo you usuou usually shally shake haake hands winds with;th; +ead the following essay and check if what you know about shaking hands is same as what +ead the following essay and check if what you know about shaking hands is same as what is described in the essay"

is described in the essay"

If there is one custom that might be assumed to be beyond criticism it If there is one custom that might be assumed to be beyond criticism it is

is the custhe custom of tom of shakinshaking hands; but it seems that even this innog hands; but it seems that even this innocent andcent and

amiable

practice is upon its trial. A heavy practice is upon its trial. A heavy

indictment

has been directed has been directed against it in the ress on hygienic grounds! and we are urged to adopt against it in the ress on hygienic grounds! and we are urged to adopt some healthier mode of e"pressing our mutual emotion when we meet some healthier mode of e"pressing our mutual emotion when we meet or part. I think it would need a pretty sti# Act of arliament and a heavy or part. I think it would need a pretty sti# Act of arliament and a heavy cod

code e of penaltof penalties ies to breto break us ofak us of soso

ingrained

a habit. $f course! there a habit. $f course! there

are many people in the world who go through life without ever shaking are many people in the world who go through life without ever shaking

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hands. robably! most people in the world manage to do so. %he &apanese bows! and the Indian salaams! and the 'hinese make a grave motion of the hand! and the Arab touches the breast of his friend at parting with the tips of his (ngers.

)y comparison with these modes of salutation it may be that our *estern custom of shaking each other by the hand seems coarse and

bucolic

! +ust as our custom of

promiscuous

kissing seems an unintelligible indecency to the &apanese! to whom

osculation

has an e"clusive se"ual signi(cance that we do not attach to it. In the matter of kissing! it is true; we have become much more restrained than our ancestors. ,veryone has read the famous passage in ,rasmus letters in which he describes how people used to kiss in %udor ,ngland! and how! by the way, that learned and holy men en+oyed it. e could not write so of us today. And there is one connection in which kissing has never been a common form of salutation with us. /asculine kissing is an entirely

'ontinental habit! chie0y cultivated among the 1ussians. %he greatest display of kissing I have ever witnessed was at rince 2ropotkins house3 he was then living at )righton3 on his seventieth birthday. A procession of aged and bearded 1ussian patriarchs came to bring greetings! and as each one entered the room he rushed at the sage! 0ung his arms about his neck! and gave him a resounding

smack

on eachwhiskered cheek! and 2ropotkin gave resounding smacks in return.

%his is carrying heartiness too far for our

austere

tastes. I do not think that ,nglishmen could be bribed to kiss each other! but I cannot conceive that they will ever be argued out of shaking hands with each other. A greeting which we really feel without a grip of the hand to accompany it would seem like a repulse! or a

sacrilege

. It would be a bond without the seal3as cold as a stepmothers breath! as o4cial as a typewritten letter with a typewritten signature. It would be like denying our hands their natural o4ce. %hey would revolt. %hey would not remain in our pockets or behind our backs or toying with a button. *e should have to chain them up! so instinctive and

impetuous

is their impulse to leap at a brother hand.

5o doubt the custom has its disadvantages. *e all know hands that we should prefer not to shake! warm! clammy hands! listless!

faccid

hands! bony! energetic hands. %he horror and

loathing

with which 6riah eap (lled our youthful mind was conveyed more through the touch of his hand than by any other circumstance. It was a cold!.dank hand that left us haunted with the sense of obscene and creepy things. I know the touch of that hand as though it had lain in mine! and whenever I feel such a hand now the vision of a

cringing

fawning (gure damns the possessor of it in my mind beyond

reprieve

. It may be un+ust! but the hand-clasp is no bad clue

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to moral as well as physical health. %here is death in that hand was 'oleridges remark after parting from 2eats! and there are times when we can say with no less con(dence that there is pollution! or dishonesty! or

candour

! or courage in that hand.

7ome personalities seem to resolve themselves into a handshake. It is so elo8uent that it leaves nothing more to be discovered about them. %here is eaker! the publisher! for e"ample! who advances with outstretched hand and places it in yours as though it is something he wants to get rid of. It is a cold pudding of a hand! or a warm pudding of a hand! according to the weather! but! cold or warm! it is e8ually a pudding. *hat are you to do with it9 It obviously doesnt belong to eaker! or he would not be so an"ious to get rid of it. ou cant shake it! for it is as unresponsive as a +elly-(sh! and no one can shake hands heartily with a +elly-(sh. and-shaking must be mutual! or it is not at all. 7o you +ust hold it as long as civility demands! and then gently return it to eaker! who goes and tries to get someone else to take it of his hands! so to speak. And at the other e"treme is that hearty fellow 7tubbings! the sort of man who hails you %om or &ack! and proves by

thumping

on your back how he esteems your merit.

)ut he does not thump you on the back. e takes your hand3if you are foolish enough to lend it to him3and crushes it into a +umble of aching bones and shakes your arm well-nigh out of its socket. %hats the sort of man I am! he seems to say. 5othing half-hearted about me! sir.orkshire to the backbone.&annock right through! sir. $h! torture<= And Im glad to see you! sir. Another +erk=. e restores your hand! a

mangled

pain! and you are careful not to trust him with it again at parting. And there is the limp and lingering hand that seems so overcharged with a#ection that it does not know when to go! but lies in your palm until you feel tempted to throw it out of the window. )ut though there are hands that make you shudder and hands that make you

writhe

! the ritual is worth the occasional penalty we have to pay for it. It is the happy mean between the $rientals formal salaam and the 1ussians enormous hug! and if it has less dignity than it has more warmth and more of the spirit of human comradeship. *e shall need a lot of medical evidence before we cease to say with the most friendly of all poets:

Glossary

Amiable : having or displaying a friendly and pleasant manner Indictment : a formal charge or accusation of a serious crime.

Ingrained : (of a habit, belief, or attitude) firmly fixed or established; difficult to change. Bucolic : relating to the pleasant aspects of the countryside and country life.

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Promiscuous : demonstrating or implying an unselective approach; indiscriminate or casual sculation : to touch

!mac" : a sharp slap or blo#, typically one given #ith the palm of the hand $ustere : severe or strict in manner or attitude.

!acrilege : violation or misuse of #hat is regarded as sacred Impetuous : acting or done %uic"ly and #ithout thought or care

&laccid : soft and hanging loosely or limply, especially so as to loo" or feel unpleasant

>oathing : a feeling of intense disli"e or disgust; hatred.

'ringing : bend ones head and body in fear or apprehension or in a servile manner 'andour : the %uality of being open and honest; fran"ness

humping : of an impressive si*e, extent, or amount.

+angled : destroy or severely damage by tearing or crushing.

rithe : ma"e t#isting, s%uirming movements or contortions of the body.

Comprehension Questions

'4 .hat is represented by shaking hands;

<4 .hat is the ingrained habit given in the essay;

=4 .hat are the modes of greetings for >apanese ,ndians Chinese and the Arabs;

34 $oes the author support or oppose the culture of kissing; Give reasons from the te?t to support your answer"

14 %ow does A"G"Gardinerelude greeting without a handshake;

04 .hat according to the authorare the disadvantages of shaking hands; )4 .hen do we hesitate to give hand shake to others;

(4 According to the author how should the hand shake be;

-4 %ow does he differentiate shaking hands with different people; '84 .hich culture of greeting would you mostly support;

Think Critically

'" $o you agree with the author on his comments about ,ndian and +ussian greetings and hand shake of #ritish being a mid!way decent greeting when compared to the other two; @?plain with e?amples"

<" ,f you are supposed to attend an interview what seems to be customary to greet the interviewer/s4 there; $oes difference in gender have anything to do with your greetings; %ow;

=" ,dentify the structure of this argumentative essay" ark which parts of the essay fall under these categories:

'" ,ntroduction to the issue

<" main advantages with e?amples =" other advantages

3" disadvantages

1" conclusion supporting advantages Vocabulary

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below using the hints given in the brackets

'" >enny rang earlier and BBBBBBBBBBB you so , told her you were fine" /@nuire about someoneDs health4

<" , have no idea but ,Dll BBBBBBBBBBBB at work and see if anyone can help" /Ask a number of people for information of help4

=" , have BBBBBBBBBB many of the people , grew up with"/#ecome less friendly with4 3" &ails BBBBBBBBB uickly after you cut them"/Grow again4

1" .e BBBBBBBBBBB like the neighborhood"/@ventually do something4 0" ,t was really hard to BBBBBBBBBB the tears /&ot show emotion4

)" .hen the enemy attacked they BBBBBBBBBBB for si? weeks" /+esisted4 (" The meeting has been BBBBBBBBBBB till riday /$elay4

-" The ,*O BBBBBBBBBB on the first day"/5tart uickly4

-.@veryone BBBBBBBBBB me when , raised the issue"/Criticize attack4

Grammar

1. ake a list of 18 actions that can be part of your day to day work" Add a noun to it if necessary to e?plain the action" or e?ample: shake /action4 hands/noun4 blink /action4 eyes /noun4"

<" &ow divide the actions according the time: actions that you did yesterday actions you do today and what you will do tomorrow"

Eesterday Today Tomorrow

=" &ow use at least '8 action from each time in your own sentences" or e?ample:

Eesterday: et a friend: Eesterday evening , met a friend of mine in the market" Today: go to college: Today , am going to college"

Tomorrow: watch a movie: Tomorrow , will watch a movie with the members of my family" Writing: Argumentative essay

The essay FOn 5haking %ands is a well!structured argumentative essa y as you must have noticed with the help of the previous e?ercise /Think critically H"=4

ake a list of the differences between what you usually consider as the structure of an essay"

$s"ed $fter $s" $round /ro#n a#ay from /ro# bac" /re# to 0old bac" 0eld out

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@55AE A+GI@&TAT,J@ @55AE Type of topic structure language ,mportance of e?amples

Task: .rite an argumentative on F5ciences are better than arts to make our living more comfortable and meaningful"

The steps to start writing an argumentative essay are:

*repare an outline for the essay with the points that you have to argue for and against the given topic"

*oints in support of 5cience *oints in support of arts

#ased on the number of points and their strength develop an essay in the structure give to you in H"="

Lie !kills: Cultural !ensitivity an" Cross cultural Communication.

,ndia is a country with wide cultural diversity" .e are born amidst different languages customs and rituals that vary from door to door in a group of families that live in a particular area or village" Tolerance to othersK customs and traditions is part of our lives"

Cultural !ensitivity is a set of skills that enables you to learn about and get to know people who are different from you thereby coming to understand how to serve them better within their own communities" ,t also means that cultural differences and similarities e?ist and have an impact on the values learning and behavior of an individual"

#ea" the ollo$ing anecdote to understand cultural sensitivity better:

Avery >ones a 11!year!old African American woman has not been feeling well" 5ince she is new in town and has not yet had a chance to establish care with a physician she decides to go to $r" >ames orrison at her friendDs recommendation" Ipon their first meeting the =<!year! old $r" orrison introduces himself as D$r" orrisonD and calls her DAveryD" $r" orrison then assumes that she is on edicaid/ state program that helps low!income individuals or families pay for the costs associated with long!term medical and custodial care4" Avery >ones leaves

$r" orrisonDs practice upset and decides to find a different doctor" $r" orrison is obviously confused about her response" 5o what did he do wrong;

,n this e?ample $r" orrison was not being culturally sensitive" ,n many cultures it is customary to call people by their last names especially when they are older than you" 5ince $r" orrison called his patient DAveryD instead of Drs" >onesD she took it as a sign of

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disrespect" To make matters worse $r" orrison assumed that Avery was on edicaid based solely upon his initial impression of her" This not only upset rs" >ones but also prevented her from getting the medical treatment that she needed"

5o what would the culturally sensitive approach look like; ,nstead of calling her DAveryD $r" orrison would have asked her how she would like to be addressed" %e could then make a note in her chart so that all of the staff know to address her as Drs" >onesD" ,nstead of assuming that rs" >ones was on edicaid $r" orrison would have asked her if she had medical insurance and who her insurance provider was" Or maybe he would have avoided the subject all together as most practices have a billing department that handles insurance matters"

'" .ho do you think is culturally more insensitive $r orrison or Avery >ones; .hy;

<" $oes addressing by your first or last name matter in your culture; %ow important is the difference;

=" .hat must $r" orrison have done to upset Avery >ones in his treatment as edicaid; 3" Are the solutions to the issue with Avery >ones similar in all cultures; .hyL.hy not; !peak: Cross cultural Communication

Our culture influences many aspects of our lives" ,t influences how we interact with others and with the world around us" *eople who are culturall y sensitive are able to function in other cultures" They value and respect diversity and are open to learning things from the point of view of others" %ere is an activity that helps you

ake a list of activities that you find strange about others" They can be related to the way they celebrate a festive or a family functions" &ote down how you responded to it / physically and verbally4

orm into pairs and discuss with your partner if the activities that are strange for you seem to be the same him or her" *resent the same to the class inviting others comments and