Literatura, družba in kultura ZDA

1. Komentirajte nastanek in pomen Deklaracije o neodvisnosti in vzroke za odcepitev ameriških kolonij.

Written in 1776, mainly by Thomas Jefferson, it declared the American colonies’ independence from Britain. It emphasized natural rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness) and justified rebellion against tyranny. It inspired later democratic movements worldwide.

2. Poznavanje odločilnih dogodkov v zgodovini ZDA (npr: Kateri ameriški predsednik je bil prisiljen k odstopu? Zakaj?; Kateri ameriški predsednik je bil umorjen? Kje?; Čemu se je posvečal senator McCarthy v petdesetih letih? Ipd.)

• President forced to resign: Richard Nixon (1974, Watergate scandal).

• Presidents assassinated: Abraham Lincoln (1865, theatre), James Garfield (1881, train station), William McKinley (1901, Buffalo), John F. Kennedy (1963, Dallas).

• Senator McCarthy (1950s): led anti-Communist “witch hunts” during the Cold War.

3. Vidnejši ameriški predsedniki v 20. in 21. stoletju. Njihova vloga.

• Franklin D. Roosevelt (New Deal, WWII leadership).

• John F. Kennedy (Cuban Missile Crisis, civil rights support).

• Ronald Reagan (Cold War policies, conservative revolution).

• Barack Obama (first African-American president, healthcare reform).

4. Kdo je aktualni predsednik ZDA? Kateri stranki pripada? Kateri stranki obvladujeta ameriško politično prizorišče?

• Donald Trump (Republican Party, 2025–).

• Two dominant parties: Democrats and Republicans.

5. Katera politična telesa sestavljajo ameriški kongres?

Bicameral legislature:

• Senate (100 senators, 2 per state).

• House of Representatives (435 members, proportional to state population).

6. Ali je bila po drugi svetovni vojni ZDA vpletena v kakšno vojno? Kje?

After World War II, the United States was involved in several major wars and military conflicts around the world:

Korean War (1950–1953)

• Location: Korean Peninsula.

• Context: North Korea (backed by USSR and China) invaded South Korea.

• U.S. led UN forces to defend the South.

• Outcome: Armistice in 1953, Korea remained divided at the 38th parallel.

Vietnam War (U.S. involvement c. 1964–1973)

• Location: Vietnam (Southeast Asia).

• Context: Fight against communist North Vietnam and the Viet Cong, who sought to unify the country under communism.

• U.S. supported South Vietnam militarily and economically.

• Outcome: U.S. withdrew in 1973; in 1975 North Vietnam won and unified the country.

Other significant post-WWII conflicts

• Gulf War (1990–1991): U.S.-led coalition expelled Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

• Afghanistan (2001–2021): Response to 9/11 attacks; longest U.S. war, aimed at dismantling al-Qaeda and overthrowing the Taliban.

• Iraq War (2003–2011): U.S. invaded to remove Saddam Hussein, citing weapons of mass destruction (never found).

7. Komentirajte vzroke in posledice dejanja, ki se je dogodil 11. septembra 2001 v New Yorku.

Terrorist attacks by al-Qaeda: planes hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center and Pentagon. Consequences: “War on Terror,” invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, stricter homeland security.

8. Poznavanje aktualne politične problematike v ZDA.

Political polarization, immigration, racial inequality, gun violence, healthcare debates, climate change, global leadership challenges.

9. Poimenujete in predstavite vsaj tri predstavnike ameriške romantike / realizma / modernizma / skupine »izgubljena generacija«. Komentirajte razliko med različnimi literarnimi smermi (npr. med realizmom in romantiko) in kako se ta kaže v ameriški literaturi.

• Romanticism: Edgar Allan Poe (inventor of detective fiction genre), Walt Whitman, Nathaniel Hawthorne.

• Realism: Mark Twain (Adventures of Huckleberry Finn), Henry James, Stephen Crane.

• Modernism: F. Scott Fitzgerald (The Great Gatsby), Ernest Hemingway (The Old Man and the Sea, For Whom the Bell Tolls), William Faulkner (The Sound and the Fury).

• Lost Generation: Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein.

• Difference: Romanticism → emotion, nature, imagination; Realism → everyday life, objective reality.

10. Poimenujte vsaj tri ameriške literate, ki so prejeli Nobelovo nagrado za literaturo in jih na kratko predstavite.

1. Ernest Hemingway (1899–1961)

• Awarded 1954.

• Known for his minimalist style and the “iceberg theory.”

• Major works: The Old Man and the Sea (for which he received the Nobel), A Farewell to Arms, For Whom the Bell Tolls.

• Themes: war, masculinity, courage, existential struggle.

2. William Faulkner (1897–1962)

• Awarded 1949.

• Southern novelist famous for his experimental style: stream of consciousness, shifting narrators, complex chronology.

• Major works: The Sound and the Fury, As I Lay Dying, Absalom, Absalom!.

• Themes: the American South, decay of old aristocracy, race, memory, and guilt.

3. Toni Morrison (1931–2019)

• Awarded 1993.

• First African-American woman to win the Nobel Prize.

• Major works: Beloved, Song of Solomon, The Bluest Eye.

• Themes: African-American identity, history of slavery, memory, race, and gender.

11. Poimenujte in predstavite vsaj enega predstavnika naturalizma / postmodernizma (npr. novega žurnalizma, predstavnika afriško ameriške, judovske skupnosti) v literaturi ZDA.

• Naturalism: Theodore Dreiser, Stephen Crane.

• Postmodernism: Thomas Pynchon, Don DeLillo.

• New Journalism: Tom Wolfe, Hunter S. Thompson.

• African-American literature: Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, Maya Angelou.

• Jewish-American literature: Philip Roth, Saul Bellow.

12. Poimenujte in predstavite vsaj tri znamenite ameriške dramatike.

• Eugene O’Neill (Long Day’s Journey into Night).

• Arthur Miller (Death of a Salesman).

• Tennessee Williams (A Streetcar Named Desire).

13. Razložite koncept treh vej oblasti v ZDA in za vsako predstavite najpomembnejša politična telesa oziroma posameznike.

The U.S. political system is based on the principle of separation of powers and checks and balances, dividing power into three branches: Executive, Legislative, Judicial.

1. Executive Branch

• Head: The President (currently Joe Biden, since 2021).

• Main roles: Head of state, head of government, Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, executes laws, conducts foreign policy, veto power over legislation.

• Key bodies/figures:

  • Vice President (supports President, presides over Senate).

  • Cabinet (secretaries of departments like State, Defense, Treasury).

  • Federal agencies (FBI, CIA, EPA, etc.).

2. Legislative Branch

• Main body: Congress, a bicameral legislature.

• Functions: Makes laws, approves the budget, declares war, checks executive power.

• Two chambers:

  • Senate (100 senators, 2 per state, 6-year terms). Special powers: confirm presidential appointments, ratify treaties.

  • House of Representatives (435 members, proportional to state population, 2-year terms). Special powers: initiate budget/tax bills, impeach officials.

• Leaders: Speaker of the House, Senate Majority Leader.

3. Judicial Branch

• Main body: The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS).

• Functions: Interprets the Constitution, reviews laws and executive actions, ensures rights are protected.

• Structure: 9 Justices (1 Chief Justice, 8 Associate Justices), appointed for life by the President with Senate approval.

• Other courts: Federal Courts of Appeals and District Courts.

14. Predstavite osnovna načela, na katerih temelji gospodarstvo ZDA, in jih komentirajte z vidika trenutne gospodarske situacije v ZDA in v svetu.

Free-market capitalism, private property, entrepreneurship, limited government intervention. Today: challenges include globalization, inflation, inequality, and competition with China.

15. Kritično komentirajte položaj manjšin v ZDA.

Diverse groups: African-Americans, Hispanic/Latino communities, Native Americans, Asian-Americans, LGBTQ+. Issues: racial discrimination, economic inequality, representation, immigration debates.