A25 – Role Models and Idols
Vlastnosti
| predmet | Anglický jazyk |
| typ | maturitná téma |
| okruh | anglický jazyk |
| číslo | 25 |
| stav | vypracované |
Talk about examples and ideals, who young people admire and why, the difference between an idol and a role model, and your own example.
1. Osnova témy
- What a role model is and why we all have them.
- The difference between a role model, an idol and a pseudo-idol.
- Family role models — parents, siblings, grandparents.
- School role models — teachers and classmates.
- Celebrity role models and their positive and negative influence.
- Literary and historical heroes.
- Everyday heroes — ordinary people who do extraordinary things.
- Your own role model and the qualities you admire.
2. Kľúčová slovná zásoba
- key terms: role model (vzor), idol, pseudo-idol, ideal, example, hero / heroine, icon, celebrity, to admire (obdivovať), to look up to somebody, to idolise, to identify with, to imitate (napodobňovať), to follow somebody's example
- positive qualities: brave, courageous, bright, charismatic, charming, energetic, generous, hard-working, honest, loyal, open-hearted, patient, reliable, respectful, responsible, modest (skromný), determined (odhodlaný), trustworthy
- negative qualities: arrogant, aggressive, brutal, careless, cruel, hypocritical (pokrytecký), malicious (zlomyseľný), selfish, thoughtless, vain (márnivý), greedy, spoilt
- values: love, faith, health, respect, family, friendship, commitment, security, education, freedom, honesty, peace, justice
- kinds of hero: ancient hero, literary hero, fictional hero, national hero, war hero, everyday hero
- celebrities: actor, actress, singer, musician, sportsman, sportswoman, politician, writer, influencer, in the limelight (v centre pozornosti), fame, fan, paparazzi
- describing an idol: admired, adored, idealised, influential, popular, stylish, well-known, but also artificial (umelý), overrated (preceňovaný), criticised
- positive actions: to save a life, to promote peace, to fight for freedom, to sacrifice (obetovať sa), to lead a campaign, to work for charity, to encourage, to support, to set a good example, to gain respect
- negative actions: to betray (zradiť), to disappoint, to abuse power, to be addicted to drugs or alcohol, to behave badly, to overestimate oneself, to be imprisoned
3. Užitočné frázy a väzby
- Every person is influenced by other people throughout their life.
- We watch how others behave and we copy both their good and their bad qualities.
- There is an important difference between a role model and an idol.
- A role model is somebody whose behaviour you want to follow; an idol is somebody you simply worship.
- The first role models we have are our parents.
- Teenagers usually look for role models outside the family.
- Celebrities can influence young people both positively and negatively.
- What I admire about this person is not their fame but their…
- As Einstein put it, let every man be respected as an individual and no man idolised.
- The real heroes are often ordinary people nobody has ever heard of.
- To sum up, we should choose our role models by what people do, not by how famous they are.
4. Modelová odpoveď
Every person is influenced by other people throughout their life. We watch how others behave in different situations and, often without realising it, we copy their qualities — the good ones and the bad ones. This is especially true of children and teenagers, because childhood and adolescence are exactly the time when we pick up most of the habits we keep for the rest of our lives.
It is worth distinguishing two words. A role model is somebody whose behaviour and values we want to follow, somebody who shows us how to live. An idol is somebody we admire, sometimes almost worship, often just because they are famous. When a person is admired purely for being famous, without having achieved anything, we can call them a pseudo-idol. As Albert Einstein said, every person should be respected as an individual, but nobody should be idolised.
Our very first role models are in the family — our parents, older brothers and sisters, and grandparents. They teach us to be polite and friendly, they show us how to solve problems and how to get on with people. From them we learn to compromise, to cooperate and to help others — although, to be fair, we can also learn envy and selfishness at home.
The second group are school role models: teachers and classmates. A good teacher can influence a student's whole life, and I think most people can name at least one teacher who mattered to them.
Then come celebrity role models. Most teenagers look for their idols outside the family, and since young people love music, film and sport, it is usually singers, actors and sportspeople who influence them. They imitate their clothes, hairstyles, way of speaking and lifestyle. This influence can be positive: many celebrities are talented, hard-working and successful, they behave decently, and quite a few use their fame for good causes and work for charity. But it can equally be negative. Some celebrities are addicted to drugs or alcohol, some are vulgar and rude, some behave as though they were better than everybody else, and social media in particular presents an artificial, edited version of life that makes ordinary teenagers feel inadequate.
There are also literary and historical heroes. Characters from books usually represent positive moral qualities worth following, and history gives us figures who fought for freedom or justice.
Finally there are the everyday heroes, and these are the ones I find most convincing. Mother Teresa spent her life looking after the poorest people in India and received the Nobel Peace Prize for it. Bill and Melinda Gates set up a foundation that fights disease in the poorest countries. But real heroes are also completely ordinary people — a firefighter who runs into a burning building, a doctor who works a double shift, a neighbour who looks after a sick relative for years. They do not get any publicity, and that is rather the point.
Personally, my role models are people I actually know. I admire people who are reliable, who do what they promise and who stay calm when things go wrong — those seem to me far more useful qualities than fame. And I think that is the real test: we should choose our role models by what people do, not by how many followers they have.
5. Otázky na diskusiu
- What is a role model and why do people have them?
- What is the difference between a role model and an idol?
- Who were your first role models?
- Can a teacher be a role model? Give an example.
- How do celebrities influence young people, positively and negatively?
- Why do teenagers imitate their idols?
- Do you think social media creates unrealistic ideals? How?
- Who would you call a real hero?
- Do you have a role model? Describe them and say why.
- Which qualities do you most admire in other people?
6. Zhrnutie na ústnu odpoveď
- Prečo vzory: we copy the behaviour we see; childhood and adolescence are decisive.
- Vzor × idol × pseudoidol: somebody you follow · somebody you worship · somebody famous for nothing.
- Rodina: parents, siblings, grandparents — politeness, solving problems, getting on with people.
- Škola: teachers and classmates; one good teacher can change a life.
- Celebrity — plusy: talent, hard work, decent behaviour, charity.
- Celebrity — mínusy: addiction, vulgarity, arrogance, artificial image on social media.
- Literárni a historickí hrdinovia: moral qualities worth following.
- Každodenní hrdinovia: Mother Teresa · the Gates Foundation · firefighters, doctors, carers.
- Môj vzor: somebody real, plus two or three qualities you actually admire.
Učiteľkin materiál uvádza, že Matka Tereza dostala Nobelovu cenu za mier roku 1972. Správny rok je 1979 — v roku 1972 Nobelova cena za mier vôbec udelená nebola. Na skúške povedz „she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979", alebo sa roku vyhni a povedz len „she received the Nobel Peace Prize for her work with the poor in India".
Súvisiace poznámky
- A17 – Young People — koho mladí obdivujú a prečo
- A16 – Mass Media — médiá a vytváranie pseudoidolov
- A24 – Books and Reading — literárni hrdinovia
- A10 – Human Relationships — vlastnosti, ktoré si na ľuďoch ceníme
- Anglické ekvivalenty — slovná zásoba a termíny po anglicky
Kontrolné otázky
What is a role model and why do people have them?
A person whose behaviour we want to copy. Role models inspire and motivate us to become better.
What is the difference between a role model and an idol?
A role model is somebody we want to be like because of their values and actions. An idol is somebody we admire, often a celebrity, sometimes only for fame or looks.
Who were your first role models?
My parents and grandparents, later teachers, coaches and sports stars.
Can a teacher be a role model? Give an example.
Yes – a teacher who is fair, enthusiastic and helps students can inspire them to choose a career.
How do celebrities influence young people, positively and negatively?
Positively – they can promote sport, charity or education. Negatively – they can show an unhealthy lifestyle, materialism or unrealistic beauty standards.
Why do teenagers imitate their idols?
They are looking for their own identity and want to be popular and accepted.
Do you think social media creates unrealistic ideals? How?
Yes – photos are edited and people show only the best moments, so others feel their own life is not good enough.
Who would you call a real hero?
Doctors, firefighters, rescuers, and ordinary people who help others or stand up for what is right.
Do you have a role model? Describe them and say why.
Describe a real person (a family member, a scientist, a sportsperson), what they achieved and what qualities you admire.
Which qualities do you most admire in other people?
Honesty, hard work, kindness, a sense of humour and the courage to admit mistakes.