“The Church of Please and Thank You”

Julie Traves

Context

Author: Julie Traves, deputy editor in the National Post, an English-language Canadian newspaper

Article: First published in This Magazine whose headline reads, “Everything is Political”

Julie Traves questions the power of English language teaching abroad and likens it to the ways Christian missionaries went abroad to spread Christianity.

Education as Exchange

“The room is so small it fits only a table and two chairs. But making the sell to would-be learners has little to do with décor. What counts is Szabo’s final handshake” (Traves 173).

Privileged Access

“For people from affluent and developing nations alike, it is clear that the secret passwords to safety, wealth and freedom can be whispered only in English” (Traves 173).

Language and Identity

“But what is the effect of that culture on students’ dialects, customs—their very identity?” (Traves 174).

Youthful Ambition “Like the Christian missionaries who came

before them, many are young, have a blind faith in the beliefs they’ve grown up with and are eager to make their mark on the world. Unlike the 19- to 26-year-olds who proselytize for the Latter-day Saints, however, these new missionaries are also out for adventure, good times—and hard cash” (Traves 174).

Linguistic Imperialism

“Produced mainly in the US and the UK, textbooks propagate the advantages of materialism, individualism, and sexual liberation” (Traves 175).

Questions

How does Traves’ analogy comparing ESL teachers and missionaries support her argument about linguistic imperialism?

By including an array of personal experiences, what does the author show the reader about teaching English? How does she show us that?

Why do you think she begins and ends the essay with Michelle Szabo?