Delaney Brake

The soft wails of While My Guitar Gently Weeps introduced me to a world outside of America. Even though my Dad preferred to put on either an Elvis or Johnny Cash record, my hands always seemed to reach for The Beatles. My young mind assumed they were American, just like the majority of artists in our record bin, but once my Dad explained they were British, I became even more intrigued. The first time I ever heard a British accent was when I watched an interview of The Beatles. I was mesmerized. The Beatles’ talent in tandem with their accents made me believe that British people were innately charming and talented.

Although The Beatles first exposed me to British culture at the age of five, my perception of England was shaped throughout elementary school as I heard kids discuss British with stereotypes. For example, “hello, governor!” was often said on the playground. I genuinely thought in third grade that every British person was white, had crooked teeth, acted incredibly proper constantly and spent all day drinking tea. I also believed that English food was horrendous because that’s what everyone told me. Black pudding and baked beans were apparently consumed constantly in England. Who would want to eat that? British people must have disabled taste buds.

My perception of the British were altered again with the emergence of One Direction. I am proudly admitting I was a Directioner. My image of Brits now morphed into the face of Harry Styles. Quite frankly I was obsessed. I had their posters covering every inch of my childhood bedroom. Suddenly, it was like hearing The Beatles through my Dad’s record player all over again. The music was different but I felt a similar feeling. It was through watching interviews of One Direction that I began to learn British slang. The boyband also familiarized me with places such as Nandos, Wembley Stadium, Holmes Chapel, and Doncaster. After this additional exposure to Britain, I began researching England on my own and soon developed such a deep admiration for the country that I wanted to take a class in high school devoted to learning about Europe in-depth.

This course, AP European History, educated me on hundreds of years of British history and it made my perspective of British people more accurate. I learned about the creation of the United Kingdom and spent a lot of time understanding how people lived in Britain. It was in this course I studied the history of the royal family and was able to discern their importance to the British public. I was engrossed with the Reformation and the Tudors, especially Elizabeth I. It was only when I studied Britain’s past that I was able to grasp the reality of present day Britain. In addition, it was after learning about all of the iconic historical events and figures that I developed a yearning to visit England. AP European History broadened my perspective from viewing England as the homeland of the Beatles and One Direction to understanding the historical and cultural significance British people possess.