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Culture impact on behavior
What are the influences of culture in society
Assimilation of immigrants into American society
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A popular conservative columnist, Jonah Goldberg, writes: Cultures grow on the vine of tradition. What this means is that the fruits of our culture are largely based on tradition and like a Fiddler on the Roof, every culture’s social classes: mother, father, priest, beggar, and matchmaker have traditional roles to play, in order to keep society functioning smoothly as the world around them changes. However, a person’s paraticular culture greatly affects the way he or she views others and their world. Three authors whose articles support my thesis are Samantha Rama Raw, Robert Lake, and Bharati Mukherjee. In these authors’ narratives, they explain how one's culture can affect their way of life and how they view their world, based on the …show more content…
The father reveals in his letter that Wind-Wolf may be slow at grasping the learning styles of a white man’s classroom because of how he was brought up in a Native American culture, where he studied with all of his five senses and explored the world around him as an integral part of the Natural order. This story dramatically displays that a person's culture greatly affects how we see our world and others in it, through the different perspectives of Wind-Wolf, demonstrated by his teacher and his dad. The teacher feels Wind-Wolf is slow because he is unable to grasp the methods and tools that they are using in the classroom, which is aimed at his white peers. In his white teacher's culture being able to understand the things in the classroom that white people value and find important is what is considered smart and since Wind-Wolf is unable to do so yet, he is considered slow in that culture. The dad sees Wind-Wolf as someone who isn't slow, but knows different things and learns in different ways. In some Native American Indian cultures, they go to many ceremonies and bondings, they know a lot about the land they live on, and they understand the many different cultures and languages of their neighboring tribes. All of which Wind-Wolf has …show more content…
One marries another Indian and acquires labor certification and stays close to her culture, while the other marries an American and bypasses the traditional route. In the story, Mira the sister who married the Indian man states: “I feel used...I feel manipulated and discarded. This is such an unfair way to treat a person who was invited to stay and work here because of her talent.” This feeling demonstrates that because of her cultural background and immigrant status, she and the other immigrants out there, regardless of following all the rules and contributing many things in society are treated harshly. She feels betrayed that America changes its rules in midstream and now views America and immigrants becoming citizens as a negative, due to how she was treated because of where she was
... level of self-awareness is necessary to navigate this journey effectively, traits which the family simply does not have. Yolanda has potential to reach some level of self-awareness and thought during her college years, but this hope is considerably dimmed as she becomes increasingly torn between her two cultures. Yolanda is the main narrator in this novel and still has a possibility, albeit slim, of a happy future. This cannot possible be achieved without thought, actual, conscious thought as to how she is going to turn her life around and make her blended cultures something for others to admire rather than something to be ashamed of. American literature does not highly value many novels pertaining to immigrants, however, it would have been helpful for them to absorb and apply the tenets of Transcendentalism and American literature in general to aid the transition.
Culture is a unique way to express the way one shows the world and others how different each one is. Culture affects the way one views the world and others. This is demonstrated in the stories “Ethnic Hash” by Patricia Williams, “Legal Alien” by Pat Mora, and “By Any Other Name” by Santha Rama Rau. These stories come together to show examples of how people of different cultures are viewed by others as different. Mora, Williams, and Rau all have very unique styles, and this is shown throughout the following quotes.
The story is about two sister who currently lives in America. It has to deal with moving to the United States in the 1960’s. Both sisters moved to the United States in hope to pursue their dreams and to achieve they goals with college and further education. Both having similarities in appearance and religious values. Both Bharati and her sister Mira had planned to move back to their homeland India after their education. This story relates to our point of culture having a major impact on how people judge each other because it has a huge impact on how people view the world differently because, in this example, I feel manipulated and discarded. This is such an unfair way to treat a person who was invited to stay and work here because of her talent” it is basically stating on how even immigrants (like the sisters themselves) who have come into the U.S., are sometimes given fewer benefits and rights than everyone else and that they feel discluded from being able to express themselves if they wanted to, or to have good thoughts that America is as good as people has said it was, with all this freedom. The last example is, I feel some kind of irrational attachment to India that I don’t to America. Until all this hysteria against immigrants, I was totally happy.” This demonstrates that it isn’t the country itself that makes people unsafe or unsure, it’s the people running it who try to put limitations
In “An Indian Fathers Plea” written by Robert Lake , Wind- Wolf tries to become part of the American Culture when “he came home crying and said he wanted to have his haircut” (Lake 75- 79) just so he can fit in with his American peers. This text is a good example of how Wind- Wolf is trying to become a part of American Culture when really he is part of the Indian Culture. If Wind- Wolf would embrace being Indian he would be not just immersed in the American Culture by the time he graduates from that school,
In Medicine Grizzlybear Lake’s argument, “An Indian Father’s Plea,” he is making a disagreement against his son’s teacher’s claim. The teacher has labeled Wind Wolf “a slow learner,” and Lake’s argument against that is saying that his son has been taught different ways. Lake’s argument explains how Wind Wolf was brought up in a different culture and has learned in different ways.
In this book, the lives of two wealthy American citizens and two illegal immigrants collide. Delaney and Kyra were whites living in a pleasurable home, with the constant worry that Mexicans would disturb their peaceful, gated community. Candido and America, on the other hand, came to America to seek job opportunities and a home but ended up camping in a canyon, struggling even for the cheapest form of life. They were prevented from any kind of opportunities because they were Mexicans. The differences between the skin colors of these two couples created the huge gap between the two races.
Lights, camera, action! The light switches on, and shines brightly in the center of the stage. Two people walk towards it, these are actors that were told to come out at this exact moment by the director. After days of intense rehearsals. The two young actors burst. “We are tired of working for you” the two participants yell towards the director. The director in a surprising manner walks up to the stage, stares down at the performers and laughs. “You are going nowhere; I have your contract and your pay, now back to your positions!” The performers stand and continue their roles with no opinion in the matter. The camera turns off, the shadows of the actors disappear. The common person stands up and is face to face with the director. The director
Immigrants arriving in America for their first time are initially devastated at their new lives and realize their “golden lives” were simply fantasies and dreams of an ideal life in America. Immigrants from foreign countries, including those mentioned in Uchida’s Picture Bride, faced countless problems and hardships, including a sense of disillusionment and disappointment. Furthermore, immigrants and picture brides faced racial discrimination not only from white men, but the United States government, as well. Immigrants were plagued with economic hardships lived in deplorable living conditions. Though nearly every immigrant and picture bride who came to America fantasized about an ideal life, they were faced with countless hardships and challenges before becoming accepted American citizens.
The immigrant’s journey to America, as depicted throughout history, transports culture, language, beliefs and unique lifestyles from one land to the other, but also requires one to undergo an adaptation process. The children of these immigrants, who are usually American-born, experience the complexity of a bicultural life, even without completely connecting to the two worlds to which they belong. Potentially resulting is the internal desire to claim a singular rather than dual identity, for simplicity, pride and a sense of acceptance. Jhumpa Lahiri, an Indian-American author and writer of “My Two Lives” could never classify herself as.
In Willa Cather’s My Antonia, immigrants face conflict with their respective communities. The difference between values and norms of the immigrants and society are highly emphasized throughout the novel. In My Antonia, Antonia and Lena suffer the most hardships amongst immigrants because they are judged harshly for their actions. The novel focuses on three immigrant teens: Jim, Antonia and Lena. Cather establishes reverse gender roles within the novel. Jim has the privilege of getting an education and never having to work due to having successful grandparents. In contrast, Lena and Antonia come from poor families in which they must perform physical labor and take care of their families, typically the norms of men. Although Lena is confronted with reverse gender roles and disapproval by her community, she eventually finds
Culture often means an appreciation of the finer things in life; however, culture brings members of a society together. We have a sense of belonging because we share similar beliefs, values, and attitudes about what’s right and wrong. As a result, culture changes as people adapt to their surroundings. According to Bishop Donald, “let it begin with me and my children and grandchildren” (211). Among other things, culture influences what you eat; how you were raised and will raise your own children? If, when, and whom you will marry; how you make and spend money. Truth is culture is adaptive and always changing over time because
Ruth Benedict’s anthropological book, Patterns of Culture explores the dualism of culture and personality. Benedict studies different cultures such as the Zuni tribe and the Dobu Indians. Each culture she finds is so different and distinctive in relation to the norm of our society. Each difference is what makes it unique. Benedict compares the likenesses of culture and individuality, “A culture, like an individual, is a more or less consistent pattern of thought or action” (46), but note, they are not the same by use of the word, “like.” Benedict is saying that figuratively, cultures are like personalities. Culture and individuality are intertwined and dependent upon each other for survival.
illegal immigrant from Bangladesh and her sister. Nadira is a nice and compassionate person who has a very strong bond with her family. Nadira and sister Aisha have been placed into a very precarious situation in which both their parents are absent in their lives. Their father was placed in an immigration detention facility due to an expired visa and their mom is in hiding at a local church. Both sisters must work together to save their parents and it is through this long and emotional journey that Nadira and her Mother gradually developed self confidence due to their strong bond.
The cultural paralysis was seen in the fact that “there is no free play back and forth among the members of the social group. Stimulation and response are exceedingly one-sided.” Both the rich and poor suffer: the poor in that they have little involvement in the courses taken in their lives; the rich in that their “culture becomes sterile” (DE, 84).
In the end, what we learn from this article is very realistic and logical. Furthermore, it is supported with real-life examples. Culture is ordinary, each individual has it, and it is both individual and common. It’s a result of both traditional values and an individual effort. Therefore, trying to fit it into certain sharp-edged models would be wrong.