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UK - People and Society
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Photo: Crispin Zeeman/Oxfam |
People have come from all over the world to live in the UK, creating
a fascinating ethnic mix of cultures and religions. English is the
main language, but it is spoken in a wide variety of accents. Other
languages include Welsh, Gaelic, Punjabi, Hindi, and Urdu. England
is very densely populated, which means that many people live on
a relatively small area of land. This is not the case in Wales,
Scotland, or Northern Ireland, and the Scottish Highlands in particular
are very sparsely populated.
There is no such thing as a typical home or way of life in the
UK. People who live in a fishing village on one of the Scottish
islands, or on a sheep farm in Wales, for example, have very different
lifestyles from each other, and from those who live in the big bustling
cities like London, Manchester, and Birmingham. Here land is scarce,
so many people live in flats and terrace houses, often without gardens.
Arts and crafts
J M W Turner and John Constable had an important influence on landscape
painting in the early nineteenth century, but in comparison with
Italy and France, Britain has played a secondary role in the history
of Western art. Contemporary British artists include Damien Hirst,
who shocked the British public by displaying a dissected cow in
the Tate Gallery, and Chris Ofili, who gained fame for using elephant
dung in his paintings. Crafts such as pottery and glass-painting
are popular in the UK, though most people do these as a hobby rather
than to earn a living.
Music
Famous British classical composers include Edward Elgar, Benjamin
Britten, and Sir Michael Tippett. Every summer, classical music
fans flock to the ‘Proms’, a series of concerts held at
the Royal Albert Hall in London. The Proms rouse much enthusiasm
and emotion – especially on the last night, when there is much
singing and flag-waving among the audience.
The UK has an important place in the history of pop music. The
music of The Beatles, who formed their group in Liverpool in the
1960s and achieved worldwide fame, continues to have a big influence
today. The 1970s saw the beginning of the punk era, with bands such
as The Sex Pistols achieving notoriety for their raucous behaviour.
The term ‘Britpop’ is often used to describe the latest
generation of British pop talent, including groups such as Blur,
Oasis, and Supergrass.
Literature
The UK has an extremely rich literary tradition. Students of literature
are likely to study the works of Chaucer, Shakespeare, John Donne,
Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy, Jane Austen, D H Lawrence, and the
Brontė sisters – to name but a few. Famous writers of the modern
era include novelists Grahame Greene, Iris Murdoch, Salman Rushdie,
and playwrights Dennis Potter and Harold Pinter. Well-known contemporary
poets include the Welsh poet, R S Thomas, the current Poet Laureate
Andrew Motion, and the Rastafarian ‘dub’ poet, Benjamin
Zephaniah. Distinguished Scottish poets include Douglas Dunn and
Liz Lockhead. Northern Ireland has produced many highly acclaimed
poets, such as Louis MacNeice, Tom Paulin, and Nobel Prize winner,
Seamus Heaney.
Favourite UK children’s writers include Roald Dahl, author
of 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory', CS Lewis, who wrote the
Narnia series, including 'The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe',
and AA Milne, creator of Winnie the Pooh. Every year tourists travel
to the Lake District to visit the home of Beatrix Potter, the writer
of many beautifully illustrated books about popular farmyard characters
such as Peter Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny, and Jemima Puddle-Duck.
Food and drink
Traditionally, people in the UK ate ‘meat and two veg’
as their main daily meal. These days people have a much wider range
of food to choose from. Indian, Italian, and Chinese dishes are
especially popular. Fish and chips are still a favourite, especially
in seaside towns where the fish is caught locally, and ‘junk’
food (such as hamburgers or hotdogs) is also enjoyed by many. England
in particular is famous as a nation of tea-drinkers. Tea is drunk
throughout the day, and is often served with biscuits or cakes.
In cities, towns, and villages throughout the UK, the local pub
(public house or inn) provides a place for friends to gather and
chat, read the newspaper, watch television, or play games over a
few drinks. Beer is the most popular drink in pubs, and pub landlords
take pride in serving locally brewed ‘real ale’. Scotland
and Northern Ireland are famous for their whisky (spelt whiskey
in Ireland), a strong spirit made from fermented wheat.
Sport
Sport is very popular in the UK. Football is probably the most
popular sport, and is the topic of much discussion in schools, workplaces,
and pubs all around the country. The climax of the football season
is the English FA Cup, which used to be played at Wembley Stadium,
but is now held at the Millennium Staium in Cardiff, until the new
national stadium is built in London. Although football is still
a male-dominated sport, the number of girls’ and women’s
teams is growing rapidly.
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Photo: Crispin Zeeman/Oxfam |
Cricket is often thought of as a typically English game, and is
played in towns and villages all over England in the summer. Every
year international Test matches are held at the big grounds such
as Lords and The Oval in London, and Headingley in Leeds. Rugby
is another favourite sport in Britain, and England are currently
reigning world champions. Scotland is the home of golf, and boasts
some of the world’s most celebrated golf courses, among them
Troon, Muirfield, and the Old Course at St Andrews.
Tennis is growing in popularity in the UK, thanks to the rise of
talented British players, notably Tim Henman and Greg Rusedski.
The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Championship, held in south-west London
every June, is one of Britain’s most famous sporting events.
Spectators tuck in to strawberries and cream while watching the
world’s top players compete, though all too often spirits are
somewhat dampened by the British weather.
Other sports in the UK include fishing, horse-racing, hockey, snooker,
boxing, and athletics. Hill-walking and rock-climbing are also extremely
popular.
Introduction
|| History
|| Geography &
Environment
People & Society
|| Factfile || Oxfam
in the UK |
