In Nectar in a Sieve, Rukmani and Kenny highlight the differences in the two cultures, showing how the two cultures have different standards for relationships and how Westerners try to change suffering and poverty while Easterners accept it. As Rukmani points out to Kenny, “Have I not so much sense to see that you are not one of us? You live and work here… but this is not your country” (Markandaya 106). Kenny and Rukmani are friends, but their different values on subservience in relationships and suffering cause them to butt heads during most of their conversations.
Rukmani and Kenny’s conversations show how Easterners value respect and reverence, while Westerners put and emphasis on equality. After Kenny helps her conceive, Rukmani bends down to kiss Kenny’s feet, thinking she is showing respect. Kenny doesn’t like it: “He withdrew [his feet] quickly and told me to get up. ‘I am not your benefactor’” (Markandaya 32). Similarly, Rukmani is hesitant to ask about Kenny’s family because it is personal: “Of himself he did not speak… I held my tongue, for I felt to ask would be to offend him” (Markandaya 33). Both of these events show how the two cultures misunderstand each other. Kenny doesn’t like when Rukmani kisses his shoes because he doesn’t feel above her, but she is just trying to be nice. And Rukmani doesn’t understand what will and won’t offend Kenny because her culture doesn’t encourage asking personal questions.
Their conversations show more deeply how each culture views marital relationships. Rukmani only sees Kenny for her fertility problems when her husband won’t find out; she believes he will be angry (Markandaya 21). She also only takes Ira to Kenny when her husband leaves town: “I (Rukmani) waited all day [to see you]. My husband will be back soon and the I cannot come” (Markandaya 59). Though she subverts it, Rukmani is limited by her belief she cannot disobey her husband. Instead, since she doesn’t ask his permission, she can’t break his rules. Kenny scorns this, saying, “You people will never learn. It is pitiful to see your foolishness” (Markandaya 59). In Kenny’s country, women have rights. They can even divorce their husbands, as Kenny’s wife does. Rukmani fails to understand how this woman can leave her husband and wonders if it’s Kenny’s long absences. They discuss women’s role, Rukmani says, “A woman’s place is with her husband” Kenny replies, “You simplify everything… Your views are so limited it is impossible to explain to you” (Markandaya 106).
Upon arrival in this new land Europeans were met with kindness and courtesy from the natives. One account states: ?Without the aid of the Powhatans, the British settlement at Jamestown, Virginia, the first permanent English colony in the New World, would not have lasted through it?s first terrible winter of 1607-08. Similarly, the pilgrim colony at Plymouth Massachusetts, might have failed except for help from the Wampanoags.? And the Lewis and Clark expedition of 1874 would not have been successful had it not been for the Shoshone woman Sacagawea. She was their ?token of peace? when they came face-to-face with the Indians.
She compares India to “a silk cocoon frozen in time where we are sheltered by family and friends” (Kothari). The metaphor gives the reader a descriptive image of a haven that Kothari’s parents experience when visiting their homeland. She describes the cocoon to represent something safe and familiar (Kothari). Kothari also uses symbolism to describe American students. When she speaks of the “tuna eaters,” she is representing the American children, creating a separation between herself as a non-tuna eater (Kothari). Kothari goes on further to show her differences from the American students by ironically stating: “The tuna smells fishy” (Kothari). She makes it clear that tuna is a foreign food for her, though it is the representative food of the American students (Kothari). Kothari employs rhetorical devices and strengthen the depiction of her struggles with her identity by using different symbolic and figurative techniques. For readers to understand Kothari’s purpose through these devices, her main points are effectively strengthened since there is a level of analysis added to her piece that forces reader to think
Roy asserts that people’s fears of upsetting the power balance based in the caste system often leads to a blind acceptance of the status quo and a continuous sense of self-deprecation by individuals at the bottom of the hierarchy. When Velutha’s father fears that his son’s affair with a Touchable will have potentially disastrous consequences for him, he serves his own self-interest and is willing to endanger is son. He exposes the affair to the grandmother of the woman his son is having an affair with, revealing the extreme degree to which caste and conforming to societal norms drive the behaviors of individuals in Indian society; “So Vellya Paapen had come to tell Mamamachi himself. As a Paravan and a man with mortgaged body parts he considered it his duty…they had made the unthinkable thinkable and the impossible really happen…Offering to kill his son. To tear him limb from limb” (242). His fear of disrupting the status quo (i.e. the Indian social hierarchy) is so great that he is willing to sacrifice his own son’s life to protect his own. Rather than considering the genuine...
As the backgrounds of these two authors are examined, their economic differences are clearly seen while their similarities become apparent through the stereotypes of their cultures. Alexie describes a childhood where poverty was a way of life. He says, “We were poor by most standards, but one of my parents usually managed to find some minimum-wage job or another, which made us middle-class by reservation standards….We lived on a combination of irregular paychecks, h...
… The cultures of Zuni, Dobu.…differ from one another not only because one trait is present here and absent there…They differ still more because they are oriented as wholes in different directions. They are traveling along different roads in pursuit of different ends…(223).
“Presents from my aunts in Pakistan” is a poem written by Moniza Alvi. The poem talks about the melee of living in two different cultures. Throughout the poem the writer depicts her puzzlement and frustration of being torn between two cultures. Moniza Alvi explains her awareness of all the challenges that she will undergo for being multicultural. After receiving presents from her aunts, Alvi realizes that she didn’t know much about her other half Pakistani culture. She only needs to know who she really is. In this essay, I will explore how the poem conveys the different themes and ideas about life differing from one culture to another.
Social Darwinism was a widespread idea among Europeans and white people in general. This principle applies the idea of “survival of the fittest” in a social setting, where the stronger group is justified in overtaking the weaker group. Social Darwinism helped pave the way for imperialism, as Europeans did not feel guilty or inhumane for colonizing other lands. In fact, imperialism boosted their ego and made them feel superior to other races, causing them to belittle, exploit, enslave, and kill mercilessly. The belief is reflected in Kenny whenever he interacts with Rukmani. “‘Your views are so limited it is impossible to explain to you.’ ‘Limited, yes,’ I agreed. ‘Yet not wholly without understanding. Our ways are not your ways.’”(106). In this scenario, Rukmani has a discussion with Kenny regarding who is responsible for Kenny’s family leaving him. She speaks to him in a cautious manner and treats him with the utmost respect as to not upset him. On the other hand, Kenny’s manner is just the opposite. He is brusque, condescending, and often calls Rukmani a fool. The power dynamic is unequal between the two, in which Rukmani is seen as inferior by both Kenny and Rukmani. This parallels the relationship between India and Britain, as Britain is much more powerful than India so India must be careful as to how they handle relations with them. However, Rukmani’s attitude is very different in this encounter. She talks to Kenny as if he was her equal, which is demonstrated by the insight of her words as well as her unflinching tone. She defends herself and other Indians by standing up to Kenny’s generalization of them as helpless, ignorant simpletons. For the first time, Kenny realizes that the life and culture of people in India is very different from his own, and that he still has more to learn from them. Rukmani and Kenny are symbols for India and Britain. Britain
When developing countries attempted to modernize after European colonization, many native cultures suffered from society’s shift out of traditionalism as the effects of the post-colonial era became more apparent. The challenges facing new states imposed a necessity for respective countries to undertake new governmental systems, national identities, and a collective societal withdrawal from self-identification based upon ethnicity, religion, or regional identity. These newly developed nation states and their transition into modernity created conflict within each affected culture; corrupting their values, traditions, and political systems. Deepa Mehta’s films, “Earth” and “Water”, as well as novels, “A Man of the People” by Chinua Achebe and “Nectar in the Sieve” by Kamala Markandaya, follow the narratives of several protagonists; Odili, Lenny, Shanta, Rukmani, Chuyia and others, as they attempt to survive and struggle through the many obstacles in their changing worlds.
The movie reflects lots of culture shocks between West and East countries. These culture shocks all because people have diverse norms, attitudes and behaviors. Indian do not eat beef as cow is sacred in India. In Indian, the slaughter of cows is illegal. For example, Tod can not be brought Cheese burger with money. Cow is threated sacred and thus beef is not eaten. Meanwhile, we can see that America and India have different attitude in marriage. In America, people has freedom to choose their way to live and love is basis of marriage. In India, get marriage without love is usual. For
Over time, there have been several aspects that have influenced these cultures and made them unique in their own ways. I believe the traditions and values that each culture holds is important when trying to learn and understand each. The cultures in Kenya and India share similarities and differences among families in context, marital relationships, and families and aging. These are all equally important to understand because this is the underlying beliefs and values these cultures have toward these life events the families may
In Kamala Markandaya’s Nectar in a Sieve, Ruku’s cultural surroundings play a big role in developing her character by helping her grow in understanding and improving her mentality towards other beliefs and cultures. In the beginning of the story, the emergence of other cultures in the story cause a clash in Ruku’s previous beliefs, however, as the novel progresses they allow for growth as Ruku is able to be more accepting of others’ differences.
The year is 1945. Adolf Hitler is finally dead but the chaos he caused has left the continent of Europe in ruins. Millions were dead. Cities had crumbled. The damage was irreparable.Germany, the center of the madness, was particularly rough. It was left to the Allies, America, Britain, France, and the USSR to pick up the pieces and put Germany back together.
Though the level of uncertainty avoidance varies among cultures they can be identified as whether high or low in uncertainty avoidance. Members of a culture high in uncertainty avoidance prefer things that are predictable rather than something unforeseeable so they oppose changes. On the other hand, people born into a culture having high tolerance for uncertainty avoidance consider changes acceptable so they are more comfortable with unfamiliar situations and willing to challenge. India, according to Hofstede’s research, is low in uncertainty avoidance. This cultural aspect of India can be observed in the movie English Vinglish through customs, language and attitude of characters. Firstly, although members in Shashi’s family are native Indian, some customs in their daily life are rather Western. They prefer coffee, milk, toasted bread and omelet for breakfast, and they greet friends by hugging or kissing on the cheeks. Secondly, the use of English also illustrates the low in uncertainty avoidance of this culture. In the movie, English is preferred in almost any place and situation, people try to replace Hindi- their mother language with English in daily communication; and even newspapers are written in both languages. Finally, the positive attitude of Shashi’s family towards Meera’s wedding with and American man points out the fact that proposing a marriage with a foreign person is well approved in their culture. Their perspective on multicultural marriage also illustrates their high ability in adaptation to a new
In a world where labels determine much of a person’s identity, gender and culture have a strong influence on a person’s life. Uma tries to please her parents’ Hindu expectations of her, and fitting into American society. In the short story “Devadasi”, by Rishi Reddi, gender and culture based societal standards impact the protagonist Uma and how she sees her surroundings. These standards shape both Uma’s relationships with those around her and how she sees her place in the world. Today, too many people let every piece of their lives be dictated by gender and culture based expectations.
The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy tells the story of the communist state of Kerala and the forbidden love between two castes, which changes the lives of everyone. In the novel an ‘Untouchable’, Velutha is a carpenter and works at Paradise Pickles and Preserves for much less than he deserves because of his status as an Untouchable in the caste system. Velutha falls into a forbidden love with a divorced woman, Ammu who is associated with an upper caste Syrian Christian Ipe family. Marriage was the only way that Ammu could have escaped this life, but she lost the chance when marrying the wrong man, as he was an alcoholic and this resulted in them getting a divorce. Ammu breaks the laws that state ‘who should be loved, and how and how much’, as their affair threatens the ‘caste system’ in India, which is a hierarchal structure and social practice in India in which your position in society is determined and can’t be changed. Arhundati Roy portrays the theme of forbidden love within the caste systems and shows how they are t...