Mongolian Wedding by Stanley Stewart as Entertaining and Educational
Introduction
StanleyStewart is a well known writer for his travel books. He has won
various awards. He writes about travel in the broadsheet newspapers.
Mongolian wedding is taken from and account of a 1000 mile horseback
ride from Istanbulacross mountains and deserts of central Asia.
Stanley uses Mongolian words like Ger, arki ECT, for authenticity of
the piece. The passage is a lively piece; it has humored all the way
through. Mongolian wedding is informative, entertaining and amusing.
Stewart uses himself as the first person narrator. He is interested in
other people's culture and emotions. He describes places which are
remote, often dangerous and unglamorous. He uses original language
often of a literary kind. Stanley aims to educate readers by telling
us the absurdity of marriage rituals and ceremonies, "When the arrived
the groom would be obliged to search for his bride who by tradition
must hide from him"
Stewart respects the Mongolians and they respect him. You can tell
that they respect him because on Ln1-6 they warn him about themselves.
They say that the following day would be difficult, Weddings are
boisterous occasions. People can become unpredictable. He was advised
to get away early before anything got out of hand. This is the
beginning of the story and already it has humor involved in it. A
Mongolian wedding is much different to a wedding in the west.
"Biscuits, slabs of white cheese and boiled sweets had been arrayed on
every surface"……. "Plate of sheep's parts, cut with the favored cut,
the great fatty tail, like a grey glacier on a summit"
In a Mongolian wedding they pick up their bride from a Ger their
equivalent to a house and drive then in a hired Russian truck for the
occasion. A Russian truck is the equivalent of the wedding Rolls. In
the wedding Steward meets two families numbering 50 or 60 people, they
traditionally each guest had to drink three bowls of airag and three
of arkhi, both are alcoholic drinks.
There are two forms of languages; public and private. The "private" language only spoken with family and close intimate relationships. The "public" language used in society, work, and school. Both of these help form two identities, that help us connect and communicate with one another. In the essay “Mother Tongue” by Amy Tan and also in the article “Speech Communities” by Paul Roberts ,we will see how both private and public language demonstrate how we view, and grow from each language.
The Mongolian Empire was an empire which consisted of nomadic peoples. In addition, this empire would transform Afro-Eurasia into a place where alliances were formed. However, the Mongolians never had a stable empire but “…succeeded in bringing parts of the world together.” (text, 459) This empire would eventually stretch to all four corners of “…Afro- Eurasia’s main worlds.” (text, 462) This was also an empire that was made up of forest and prairie peoples. The Mongolian Empire was somewhat unstable but, skillful in military campaigns, and provided many roles for women; furthermore, the Mongols brought various regions of Afro- Eurasia together.
Ceremony by Leslie Marmon Silko is a novel that follows the recovery process of a Native American soldier, Tayo. The novel takes place after World War II and Tayo has just returned from the war. Tayo seems to be experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder due to the horrifying scenes he witnessed while overseas. Silko incorporates flashbacks from Tayo’s war experience to show the readers what it is that he is going through. Not only is he on a journey to find healing, he is also trying to discover who he is. As a Native American of mixed blood, Tayo experiences tension between the two cultures. Raised as a Native American, Tayo attends a white school that causes conflicts due to differences in beliefs. Not only does Tayo have both cultures
From the hot jungle of the Amazon to the cold mountainous plains of the Central Asian mountains, there is yet another group of people who are struggling from the same fate. The Kyrgyz are a pastoral nomadic tribal people who reside in the Wakhan Pamir of Afghanistan completely isolated from the outside world. Because of their deserted and isolated location as they are landlocked with within the borders of Afghanistan, Pakistan, China, and Uzbekistan as well as the harsh winter cold environment, their way of live has become increasingly difficult to sustain their way of life. Mortality rate of women and children has increased substantially and it has been expensive for men to afford a bride as the women have become scarce.
This story can be summarized by dividing the story into three major sections that represent a genealogy of the Genghis Khan ancestors, the lifestyle of Genghis Khan and the story of Genghis son and Ogodei his successor. This piece of early time’s literature was translated and edited by Jack Weatherford and it was not released until 16th February, 2010. The piece of work restores early history’s most prominent figures to the positions they rightfully deserves. It clears the picture of the nomadic lifestyle of the Mongols and it is rich with information regarding the society of the Mongols in the 12th and the 13th centuries” (Kahn, 2005).
Gordon accurately depicts the varied and vibrant Asian culture, by showing the reader this world instead of simply describing it. Each of the men whom Gordon uses to tell the story undertakes expeditions which are mixed with hardships and triumphs. The varied spectrum of Asian cultures is covered. Readers will find Gordon’s take on tackling this topic fresh and straightforward.
Patricia Ebrey has mentioned to the audience that in the very early times in China Society, the roles of men has been pointed as a patriarchy in a family. Women in early times in Chinese seemed to be a trouble in men’s eyes. The author also said that a basis of a family begins from a birth of son, and not the birth of a daughter. She also points out an interesting view that women are yin and men is yang. Throughout Ebrey explanation that yin will never control yang. In my thought, it will be soon a time for the old family structure to be disappeared in modern society as in today. The precursors to whom a Shang or Zhou tradition lord made penances were his patrilineal predecessors, that is, his predecessors connected only through men such as
...liefs. To conclude, the characters in the story "Marriage is a Private Affair" were greatly influenced by western customs.
The Hindu wedding is a complex ceremony whose various components has all a specific meaning and has all a relation to
It was a beautiful Saturday morning on January 6. The winter air was crisp and the view was amazing. The soft salty scent from the ocean filled the air. Off the balcony on the second story of the Long Beach Yacht Club I could see the light swells of the Pacific Ocean. The small crashing of waves added to the peaceful instrumental background sounds as the ceremony was about to begin. January 6, my wedding date, was a day that changed the rest of my life.
Stanley Stewart’s “From the Empire of Genghis Khan” is a highly inspiring travel writing filled with hilarious plots vividly portrayed in chronological, fully-detailed, easily followed events. The extract is about a “Mongolian Wedding” which Stewart attended.
As night comes, the moon shines in its prime, without a hint of any clouds indicating a beautiful clear, night sky. Dismissing the fact that a terrible downpour of rain, washed upon the land. The ringing of crickets could be heard, indicating a peaceful moment. But front within the village of Phelea, murmurs could be heard from all around, the courtyard filled with people from the small village, a sudden gathering seems to be irregular to them. As they too were surprised to hear about the sudden call to attention.
Finally the priest offered ghee into the sacred fire thereby completing the wedding ceremony, and for the last time blessed the couple for there future together. It was also then that we, the relatives and guests could great the newly married couple, and shower them with our blessings of usually flowers and rice. Watching such an elaborate and time taking event is truly wonderful. The extent of effort that is put into any Hindu wedding that is similar to the one I have described is without a doubt evident.
The Zulu people are a tribe in South Africa that form part of the greater Nguni speaking people. The brunt of their number is situated in the Kwa-Zulu Natal Province of South Africa on its Eastern Coast.
He usually arrives dressed in his wedding attire on the back of a horse, or sometimes on the back of an elephant. “The wedding altar (mandapa) is built the day of and the groom is welcomed by his future mother in law where his feet are then washed and he is offered milk and honey. His sister in law will attempt to steal his shoes and if she succeeds, the groom must pay her to get them back” (beau-coup.com). At the wedding venue the bride waits for the groom in a room covered in garland, when the groom arrives they exchange garland. After this, the brides family will welcome the grooms family to the wedding. Like Christian weddings, the father of the bride gives the bride away at the wedding, this is called a Kanyadaan. A priest will facilitate the marriage by reciting mantras or holy hymns, but the bride and groom marry each other. The bride and groom are considered married when the groom ties a thread that symbolizes his vow to care for the bride. He ties it in three knots that symbolizes the gods, Brahma, Vishnu and Masheshwara. The ceremony takes place around a fire and the god, Agni is considered the witness to the union. “The bride and the groom then circle the fire seven times, in a clockwise direction, called Saat Phere which signifies seven goals of married life which include religious and moral duties, prosperity, spiritual salvation and liberation, and sensual gratification” (Gullapalli