Malaysian literature in English, in the genre of fiction, has become a dynamic body of writing that has been the arena where alternative views and ideas about culture are raised and articulated. In Cultures in Conflicts, Fernando’s intent in revealing the curiosity of the Tasadays, a newly discovered tribe in the Philippines, to have a glimpse of the outside world is to highlight the popular ethereal precept that “Let us call all men one man” (1), a tenet much imbued in Tagore’s writings on universal human relationship attained from the Upanishads teaching and the Emersonian maxim of the Oversoul / Unity. I argue that echoes of these universal maxims are evident in Fernando as well when he expresses in Cultures in Conflict “We search for unity, homogeneity, while being confronted by the reality of heterogeneity” (Fernando 3). The traumatic incidence of racial riots of May 13, 1969 provided the setting and milieu for Lloyd Fernando‘s Green is the Colour. Interposing Bakhtin’s dialogism in the poetics of multiculturalism about difference and unity, I propose that the novel interprets Fernando as a responsible novelist in the position of a member of a multiethnic and multicultural society in Malaysia who must contest individual aspirations in the face of communal and social demands for unity hence locating Green is the Colour as a promising consequence of multiculturalism against ferocious ethnic relationship towards nation building in that particular milieu. Furthermore, I argue that the fundamental category in Fernando’s mode of visualizing a multicultural nation in the novel is not evolution but coexistence and interaction.
I commence with arguments that its Fernando’s authorial intention to highlight the issue of multicultu...
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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
In conclusion, Chinese cultures prohibition is seen, by observing the relationship expectations, education, and gender roles and jobs. The Chinese culture needs to be more cultivated as it constricts the newer generation’s capability in Canada. In Wayson Choy’s book The Jade of Peony, he describes the struggles of a immigrated Chinese family, as they try to follow two cultures to adjust in a new country like Canada, but still hang on to the old traditions of China, the kids of the family struggled as they tried to follow these two cultures. We have all been in a similar situation where we have immigrated to a new country to seek a better future where we have a better lifestyle and education, to help our family grow.
One of the main things that shapes a person’s cultural identity is their parents. Culture is passed down from generation to generation. In the story Two Kinds Amy Tan tells about a mother and daughter that clash heads because the mother wants her daughter to be something she’s not. They are Chinese, and in Chinese culture children are pushed to excel in everything they do and be better than everybody. The mother tells her daughter “You can be best anything. Of course, you can be a prodigy too”. The mother is pushing the Chinese culture down on her, because that’s the way she was raised. People’s parents were raised one way, which in their mind is the “right” way, so they raise their children the same way implementing
Building off of the socioeconomic example presented, Stuart continues detailing the complexities regarding culture. Some of the issues discussed are the subjective nature of cultures, the ambiguous boundaries of cultures...
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The United States and China are two very large countries that have cultures that are well known throughout the world. There are many differences between the United States and China, but there are many contributing factors that shape the cultures of these two countries. Language is universal, but there are different meanings and sounds, which vary from one culture to another. In China, citizens speak many languages, but about 94% speak the Chinese language. The difference in dialects was overcome by the written word and eventually a version of Mandrin became the “official speech” (The Cambridge Illustrated History of China, 1996, p.304).
... find it is hard to appreciate my own Chinese customs because I am lingered to the sweet domineering customs of America. Much like Stephen and Pucha, I feel as though if I could just be more American in the way I act, dress, eat and talk, I will be happy. However, having been fortunate enough to grasp such patterns, perspectives and problems through these novels and through lecture, I feel enlightened, although the preservation of Asian culture and custom and the fear of its extinction is still a very real issue in the Asian American community today. Hopefully one day we will be able to strike a balance between cultures and live in harmony.
There are multitude definitions of culture available in the literature and each definition relies on the context of one’s field of study. It was variedly defined that each
Moore, Malcolm, “China Analysis: Cultural Revolution Continues to Cast Shadow,” The Telegraph, March 14, 2012,
Asian American Literature Asian Americans seem to be fighting an unwinnable battle when it comes to the content of their writing. Writers are criticized by whites for speaking out against discrimination, and by their fellow Asian Americans for contributing to the stereotypes through their silence. I believe that Asian Americans should include politics in their writing as they so choose, but should not feel obligated to do so, as Frank Chin suggests. For those Asian Americans who make known their discontent with the injustice and discrimination that they feel, in the white culture, this translates to attacking American superiority and initiating insecurities. For Mura, a writer who dared to question why an Asian American was not allowed to audition for an Asian American role, his punishment was “the ostracism and demonization that ensued”.
To conclude, cultures are a major part of our lives and they constitute the image we see the world in. cultures can sometimes influence us, even in ways we don’t expect. Sometimes we find ourselves forced in cultures with negative stereotypes but that does not mean we should be ashamed of those cultural groups but rather embrace our culture and stray from the negative characteristics of that
Postcolonial authors use their literature and poetry to solidify, through criticism and celebration, an emerging national identity, which they have taken on the responsibility of representing. Surely, the reevaluation of national identity is an eventual and essential result of a country gaining independence from a colonial power, or a country emerging from a fledgling settler colony. However, to claim to be representative of that entire identity is a huge undertaking for an author trying to convey a postcolonial message. Each nation, province, island, state, neighborhood and individual is its own unique amalgamation of history, culture, language and tradition. Only by understanding and embracing the idea of cultural hybridity when attempting to explore the concept of national identity can any one individual, or nation, truly hope to understand or communicate the lasting effects of the colonial process.
Culture has been a pervasive part of humanity since the beginning of civilization. Wood (2010), professor of communications, defines culture as "the totality of beliefs, values, understandings, practices, and ways of interpreting experience that are shared by a number of people" (p 78). The way I see it, culture shapes an individual and creates their worldview. Each culture emphasizes an important aspect of the humans and displays the complexities of our species. Even though culture includes many elements, I will discuss one of Hofstede's Cultural Dimensions, Individualism, and explain how it creates a high or low context culture.
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.