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Impact of culture on people's behavior
Impact of culture on people's behavior
How does culture impact human behavior
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Imagine having your parents sell you into prostitution and you don't realize it until it's too late. How would you feel? Sold by Patricia McCormick is novel about a girl, Lakshmi, who lives in the mountains of Nepal and is forced to leave her home due to a monsoon. After the disaster, her home, crops and livelihood and family is left alone and in need of help. In order to get this help, Lakshmi is sold off. However, Lakshmi does not notice that she is sold off until she is abused and treated like an animal by Mumtaz in the happiness house. A thought of betrayal sweeps over her, and because of the depression, she has no hope for life and cannot stay positive. Throughout this book, there are many people who have helped Lakshmi gain hope and positivity, …show more content…
I picked this theme because no matter how much Mumtaz (the ‘owner’ of Lakshmi) tried to get Lakshmi to give up on her life at home and instead wanted her to stay miserable at ‘happiness house,’ Lakshmi never forgot she had a country, an age, and a family. “You are safe here only if you do not show how frightened you are.” (McCormick, 116) In the back of her mind, there always were thoughts of her friend Ama, her stepfather, and her baby brother suffering back from Nepal. She always thought of her real home in Nepal and always said one thing to herself, looking at the mirror. “My name is Lakshmi. I am from Nepal. I am thirteen years old.” (McCormick, 263/many other pages) She never forgets where she comes from, who she really is, how old she is, and that she is a child and does not belong to ‘happiness house’. This has helped her keep up a positive attitude, and soon enough, she was thinking about her family and how she should take care of them once she was free. This helped her not only persevere but to complete the work and eventually
Gary’s House, Debra Oswald, features the story of an Aussie couple facing the reality of adversity. Oswald has represented common beliefs and representations through the four protagonists mainly focusing on Gary and Dave. Many beliefs and values in the book symbolize the dominant stereotypes of an average Australian. Oswald explores the concept of an Aussie battler and how it perpetuates and challenges the common stereotype of Australians.
In the middle of the novel, Lakshmi gets sick. This part of the novel says: “‘A few days later when I am finally strong enough to get out of bed, I pass by a mirror. The face that looks back is that of a corpse. Her eyes are empty. She is old and tired. Old and angry. Old and Sad. Old, Old, a hundred years old.’” (McCormick 192). This shows the change because the mood is changed to sad. She can’t even recognize herself anymore, she has been changed for the worst. There was also another time in the novel when the mood of the book changes. This part of the novel is when Harish gives her something, the author writes: “A tear is running down my cheek. It quivers a moment of the tip of my nose, then splashes onto my skirt, leaving a small, dark circle. I have been beaten here, locked away, violated for a hundred times and a hundred times more. I have been starved and cheated, tricked and disgraced. How odd is it that I am undone by the simple kindness of a small boy with a yellow pencil” (McCormick 182-183). This changes the mood to very sweet because she has been through so much and she does not feel anything, but just one person is nice to her and she is crying tears of happiness. These examples show that the tone of the story affects the mood of the
Have you ever wondered what life was like for a maid in the 1960’s? Well, the book The Help, written by Kathryn Stockett, gives the reader a somewhat fictional and interesting view on the lives of maids who work for white women. The book follows the points of view of three different women, Ms. Phelan, a white women, Minny and Aibileen who are both black. Many things are happening in the town of Mississippi that they live in, like how many people were building bathrooms for the blacks because they did not want to use the same one. Or how the blacks were being treated horribly. Ms. Phelan decides to write a book about what it’s like to for black maids to work for white women. She was inspired to
Neglect and the lack of care from society is affecting the life of Theresa Flores. As young girls they are being forgotten by their community and society as human beings who need to be cared for as they grow and heal from the traumatic events in their life. The stories of Theresa and Rachel prove events of human trafficking have taken place in the United States during the 1980’s-2000’s and are currently occurring. In The Slave Across the Street by Theresa Flores, Theresa informs the reader of her experiences with neglect and the effects these experiences have on her. As Theresa begins to show signs of physical abuse, the adults in her schools and community are taking no notice in fear the results would affect themselves. Theresa says, “By doing nothings, turning a blind eye, they
While they do not examine how living a life of gratitude in their family might have contributed to Sarah's pain that does not mean that they didn't love her deeply. What shines through is Sarah's strength, her ability for generosity, and her love for many in her life. The chapters of the book are each introduced by the dates when women who vanished were last seen by friends or family. This helps to emphasize how long it was before the police took these women's disappearances seriously. deVries discusses quite lucidly the impact of societal attitudes and stereotypes upon sex workers in contrast with their actual humanised, individual situations and choices. Ultimately, this book is a wonderful testament to a strong person destroyed by circumstances within and without her that echoed off of each other to a heartbreaking end. It is also indicative of a society which sees some women as disposable because of the presumption of labels, and to not treat a person as an individual first who regardless of labels, does not deserve such a violent outcome in their
Innocence ripped away and replaced by premature struggling through life is what outlines Sold by Patricia McCormick. This historical fiction novel follows the story of Lakshmi, a thirteen-year-old girl living in Nepal. Desperately poor, Lakshmi can only enjoy simple pleasures, such as raising her speckled goat named Tali, and having her mother Ama brush and braid her hair. When the violent Himalayan rains tear away all that remains of their cucumber crops, Lakshmi’s maimed stepfather says she must take up a job, for he cannot get work. Lakshmi is introduced to the charming Bajai Sita who promises her a job as a maid in a wealthy area of India. Excited and full of hope to help her family, Lakshmi endures the long trek to India where her journey ends at the “Happiness House.” Soon she learns the frightening truth: she has been sold into prostitution. She is betrayed, broken, and yet still manages to come through her ordeal with her soul intact. Sold depicts a story meant to teach and inspire, making the novel a piece that is highly important for all to see and read.
Symbolism is a poetic and literary element that interacts with readers and engages their feelings and emotions. In Sold, thirteen-year-old Nepali girl, Lakshmi, is forced to take a job to help support her family. Involuntarily, she ends up in prostitution via the Happiness House; this sex trafficking battle forces Lakshmi to envision her future and possibility of never returning home. The very first vignette of the novel speaks of a tin roof that her family desperately needs, especially for monsoon season. At the brothel, Lakshmi works to pay off her debt to the head mistress, Mumtaz, but cannot seem to get any sort of financial gain in her time there. Both the tin roof and the debt symbolize unforeseen and improbable ambitions, yet she finds the power within herself to believe. How does Lakshmi believe in herself despite her unfathomable living conditions and occupation?
In the book Sold by Patricia McCormick shares the story of Lakshmi who at the age of 13 is sold by her step father and is forced into the a life of prostitution. She is born and raised in a simple village community, her only trouble in life is her step father. Lakshmi will soon come to learn there is a whole world outside of her village and it is not as pure as she once believed. Lakshmi is starved and beaten until she finally comes to terms with her new fate. She tells stories of what happened to her while locked away, what she learns from the other girls, and what could happen to her if she angers Mumtaz. Lakshmi does not understand what is happening only they are happening to her. The experiences Lakshmi goes through can relate to everyones’ personal experiences in life.
This book shows the struggles that the main character, Precious Jones, has to go through after she was raped by her father twice. Not only is she raped, but her mother does nothing about it and just wants her to live with what ha...
Kara, Siddharth. Sex Trafficking: Inside the Business of Modern Slavery. New York: Columbia UP, 2009. 5. Print.
The setting of the novel is located in Kabul, the capital city of Afghanistan, under the harsh Taliban rule. The Taliban governs most of the country and impose stringent restrictions on the Afghan people, especially women (P.7 “She wasn't really meant to be outside at all. The Taliban had ordered all girls and women in Afghanistan to stay inside their homes. They even forbade girls to get to school.”) The location of the novel influences the emotions and moods of the characters to be depressed and stressed because the location is set in a violent situation where houses continually being bombed and land mines are anchored everywhere in the city (P.16 “There were bombed-out buildings all over Kabul. Neighbourhoods had turned from homes and businesses into bricks and dust. Kabul had once been beautiful.”) Parvana and her family lives in a one-room house after moving for safety several times which cause everything to be congested in one place. This is difficult for anyone in Parvana's family to be alone which triggers tension amongst one another. The setting of the story is set in a nation under a turmoil of war and chaos which portrays the main character, Parvana, to be depressed and deeply emotional.
In the article The Harm That’s Caused by Transparent Messages in Advertising by Angela Hartlin, she addresses how humans look at TV commercials and advertisements and compare ourselves to the models displaying the products. “[W]e are more concerned with our own real or perceived short-comings, which cloud our reality of the altered proof,” (Hartlin, paragraph 2) Hartlin states. We, as humans, get so caught up in what the people on these ads look like that we are selling the product to ourselves because we think that if we get this product that they have we are, in return, going to attain the “ultimate beauty” (Hartlin, paragraph 2). Since this article is mostly about the beauty we think we will get from using the products that these models use, or that “some procedure will erase all evident
Cheryl Smink had dreamed of opening her own advertising agency ever since she was nine years old. He father had always told her that she wasn't cut out to handle her own business, that she should just be a housewife like her mother and sister. She never let his lack of confidence in her waver her positive attitude or desire to pursue her passion. She kept her spirits high while working to pay for college, interning at agencies where they barely gave her a passing glance, and waiting until her inspiring outlook on life opened the door for her to open C. Smink Advertising. Approaching all aspects of life with a positive attitude greatly increases success. Radiating a positive attitude helps when circumstances do not go as people plan, it gives everyone a better outlook on life,
Death of a Salesman, a play written in 1949, by Arthur Miller, has been Miller’s most famous work thanks to how relatable the play can be to almost every citizen in America. The play is told from the point of view of the principal character, Willy Loman. The play examines Willy’s perception of success, and the conflicts that his perception creates in his household. Having a wrong perception of likeness, lying, and cheating can lead to an individual to make decisions that can be irreversible and have many consequences. The family of Willy Loman is an example of how the life of each one of the members of the family can be defined by the mindsets of only one person.
...her power. Lakshmi will take her friend Anita to obtain the freedom from the American and defeat the bad woman Mumtaz. However, Anita reminds Lakshmi don’t trust the American, they will have a better life in the brothel than live in the outside world. Lakshmi might change her mind to stay in brothel, but it is not true. In fact, she never changes her mind to find the new life, she even doesn’t think of those things anymore. She follows the American and defeats her enemies Mumtaz because she will live for herself. The weaker people who endure the difficult experiences hope they will obtain freedom. The strong mood can let them change their destiny. It can make them confident to challenge the powerful enemies and brave to confront the difficult trouble. The unknown thing is not scared, the powerful people are not horrible, if you can gain the power from your family.