Horace Miner's Body Ritual Among The Nacirema

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INTRODUCTION
The Nacirema’s roots originate from North America. They are depicted as a group of individuals whose rituals revolve around the human body. The tribe values substances and the help of practitioners in their community to help their bodies recover.
In Horace Miner’s Body Ritual Among the Nacirema, Miner demonstrates how the Nacirema’s culture and performed rituals are poorly understood. Miner’s harsh perception of the Nacirema’s rituals influences the reader’s perception. While the Nacirema’s rituals may seem to have exotic customs and sound taboo, the observer, Miner uses a technique that is inaudible to the conscious mind and makes the strange seem familiar by comparing the Nacirema’s rituals to those of modern-day Americans of …show more content…

Miner describes this practice to “strike the uninitiated stranger as revolting” (504). His opinion causes confusion and leads readers to think as the author’s intention. Miner’s choice of words demonstrates how language can shape people’s impression of a culture.
Little do the readers know; Miner is describing American culture and how Americans brush their teeth to maintain a good hygiene. The hog hairs refer to a toothbrush and the magical powders refers to toothpaste.

When the Nacirema are ill, they go to latipso to meet the medicine men where they can potentially get cured. However, the medicine men expect a gift in return for their services (505). Many of them undergo practices that may not even improve their state and may even be the leading cause to kill them (506). Miner harshly describes the latipso as a place “you go to die” (505).
This specific ritual is similar to the American health care system (latipso spelt backwards is hospital without the letter “h”). The medicine men refer to doctors who receive patients at a cost instead of a gift. Many Americans put their life in the hands of doctors hoping they will recover; however it is never promised they

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