You can see the message ‘Keep calm and carry on’ written on many T-shirts and other tourists’ souvenirs in London and the UK. It has become so famous that there are many versions of it: ‘Keep calm and drink tea’; ‘Keep calm and love dogs’; ‘Keep calm and learn English’. As you can see, you can replace the ‘carry on’ part with anything you want, really.
WORLD WAR TWO
But where does the original phrase come from? Well, it comes from the Second World War. It was the message used for a poster created by the British government to calm people down and encourage them during the war, when London was being attacked: ‘Keep calm and carry on’ with your life as normal, as if there is no war.
IN CONTROL
Keeping calm when you have problems is known as a very British thing to do. In the past, British people were famous for keeping a ‘stiff upper lip’. This means your lips don’t shake when you are excited or frightened: you stay calm and don’t show people how you are really feeling.
MODERN BRITAIN
Are the British still like this today? Do they still keep a ‘stiff upper lip’? Modern Britain is very different from how it was sixty years ago, and British people probably show their emotions more than they used to, but if ‘Keep calm and carry on’ is still so famous today, then it must be something the British people still think and care about, and something they are still famous for. So next time you are frightened or in danger, just keep calm and carry on!
