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How do you respect cultural diversity essay
How do you respect cultural diversity essay
Culture gives an individual an identity
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An author by the name of M.F. MoonZajer once quoted, “My culture is my identity and personality. It gives me spiritual, intellectual, and emotional distinction from others, and I am proud of it.” Each person has their own unique and distinct culture, that makes them different from everyone else. Culture refers to the characteristics of a particular group of people, including their language, cuisine, social habits, religion, music and arts. It is a person’s way of life and different groups of people have their own ways of doing things. Through culture, people develop a sense of belonging, personal growth and the capacity empathize and associate with others. Therefore, a person's culture consistently informs the way one views others and the world. …show more content…
In My Mother Pieced Quilts, by Teresa Paloma Acosta, this personal poem gives examples of how culture provides influences of family on perspective.
The narrator states “how the thread darted in and out galloping along the frayed edges, tucking them in as you did us at night,” comparing how her mother tucks the frayed edges into the quilt to how she would tuck them in at night. The narrator of this poem compares how her mother made the quilt, to how her mother used to be with her. The quilt her mother made was very special to their family. It was made up of family memories of how it was “knotted with love.” Different materials used in the quilt represented different life events. The mother designed it specifically to capture every memory. The quilt speaks to her and it connects to her culture. Each piece of fabric represents a story or event that happened in Teresa’s life. An example would be in line 11, it talks about her wedding organdies. In line 25, it states “my father's santa fe work shirt.” The quilt symbolizes protection, memories, and …show more content…
life. In Two Ways To Belong in America by Bharati Mukherjee, this personal essay provides multiple examples of the influences of ethnicity on perspective. One of the main examples would be how the two sisters had very different views on living in America. Two sisters from Calcutta, Mira and Bharati, who have lived in the United States for many years but who still find themselves on different sides over the status of immigrants and the idea of living in a different country. Upon first arriving to the America, both sisters wore saris and expressed identical views on politics, social issues, love and marriage. Both of them had the same idea of only two years in America, getting their degrees, then returning to India to marry the man chosen by their father. But after awhile, they each marry the man of their own choosing. With Bharati marrying an American man and Mira marrying an Indian man. Bharati has come to be okay with living in a different country, marrying someone who isn’t of her culture, and becoming an American citizen. Mira on the other hand, has the idea that if she was born and raised in India, she must remain an Indian citizen, marry an Indian man, and focus on only Indian culture. Mira states “I’ll become a U.S. citizen for now, then change back to Indian when I’m ready to go home. I feel some kind of irrational attachment to India that I don’t to America.” Mira states she is happier to live in America as an expatriate Indian than as an immigrant American. Bharati states in the story “I am an American citizen and she is not,” meaning that Mira doesn’t want to be considered an American citizen. She has molded her cultural identity in India and it has influenced her to want to remain apart of India. “from two sisters alike as peas in a pod, there could not be a wider divergence of immigrant experience,” states by Bharati. The sisters differ widely on American citizenship, immigration, cultural ethnicity. Both now have different cultural identities that influence their views and perspectives on ethnicity. Although some people say that culture consistently informs the way one views the world and others, there are others who may disagree.
They may think that culture rarely has anything to do with the way someone views others around them and the world. All cultures relate to how a person is based on like what they like, what they know and what they want. Which for every person (although different) is very important. One may like art and another may not. Not life altering on that point but a disagreement is sure there. There is a culture that eats human flesh and there’s a disagreement between those that do and do not. One person’s culture is important to that person. Depending on how and why it will affect others. Generally considered a human universal, it is evident in the widespread practice of labeling outsiders as "savages" or "barbarians" simply because their societies differ from those of the dominant culture. Early anthropologists often reflected this tendency and the opposite of ethnocentrism is cultural relativism, the understanding of cultural phenomena within the context in which they
occur. In my lifetime, I have had some instances where I have viewed people or things differently because of my culture. When I was younger, I saw Muslim women wearing their hijabs; a veil traditionally worn by Muslim women in the presence of adult males outside of their immediate family, which usually covers the head and chest. I used to say to my mom, “mommy why are they wearing those weird things?” I didn’t understand that it was apart of their culture at that time because I had been raised wearing American clothing and understanding the traditional American way of doing things. Sometimes I also saw The Amish wearing the types of clothes they’re used to. I didn’t understand why the “girls” had to wear prayer caps and dresses. My mom taught me it was just apart of their culture. I learned different groups of people believe and study different things. It’s a way of life and mine is different from everyone else’s. They all relate to how a person is based on like what they like, what they know and what they want. Which for every person (although different) is very important. One may like art and another may not. Not life altering on that point but a disagreement is sure there. There is a culture that eats human flesh and there’s a disagreement between those that do and do not. One person’s culture is important to that person. Depending on how and why it will affect others. Generally considered a human universal, it is evident in the widespread practice of labeling outsiders as "savages" or "barbarians" simply because their societies differ from those of the dominant culture. Early anthropologists often reflected this tendency and the opposite of ethnocentrism is cultural relativism, the understanding of cultural phenomena within the context in which they occur.
The first flashback comes on lines 9-12 when the poet writes “I remember how I’d planned to inherit that blanket, how we used to wrap ourselves at play and become Cheiftans and princesse.”(9-12) In this flashback it reveals the memories the speaker has of her and her siblings playing in this quilt when the were much younger. This flashback also shows how the speaker cared so much for this quilt that she had planned to inherit it. The fact that she has to inherit it also shows that it is very valueble with the speakers family and it has been in her family for a very long time. Another flashback can be seen on lines 23-27 when the speaker writes “as mama must have under her blanket dreamed again she was a girl again in Kenteucky among her yellow sisters, their grandfather’s white family nodding at them when they met.”(23-27) Within this quote is a flashback ftom the speakers mother about how she used the Century Quilt when she was younger. It can also be inferred that the speakers family is Native American from this
Heritage in a family can be preserved in many different ways. Be it a diary written by your great great grandpa or a pot your grandma passed on to your mum who passed it on to you, nothing compares to the great comfort in understanding ones heritage especially when it involves the deep love and devotion of a strong mother. In the poem "My Mother Pieced Quilts" by Teresa Acosta and the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, both authors use imagery and figurative language to establish a quilt as a symbol for a mothers love of her children to illustrate their themes.
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 "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, two sisters want the handmade quilt that is a symbol of the family heritage. Alice Expresses what her feeling are about her heritage through this story. It means everything to her. Something such as a quilt that was hand made makes it special. Only dedication and years of work can represent a quilt.
Alice Walker integrates the connotation and symbolism of traditional quilts through her short story, “Everyday Use”. More importantly, Walker illustrates her point through the reasoning of the quilts between Dee and her mother. During Dee’s visit home, she found the quilts in a “trunk at the foot [of her mother’s] bed, then visualized the patches of art work hanging against a wall. Dee also knew that the quilts were priceless. Miss Johnson asked Dee, “What would you do with them?” Dee said, “Hang them. As if that was the only thing you could do with the quilts” (Walker 456). In contrast, Maggie and her mother kept the quilts in a safe place, because they understood the significant role the quilts played in their
How can two people in the same room look at the same thing and see it differently? The diversity of our culture gives us these different perspectives. The works, “My Mother Pieced Quilts”, “Everyday Use”, and “By Any Other Name” demonstrate this concept of our culture influencing our perspective.
Everyone remembers someone who they care about. Whether they have just left or have been gone for a long while. People keep their memories close, and their family even closer. Some people do not care about their memories, but the most do. To some, items such as a necklace or even a plate, can keep precious memories. To others, those items are just materialistic things that may have a purpose but are not that important, or should be used for a different purpose. In the poem "My Mother Pieced Quilts" by Teresa Acosta and the short story "Everyday Use" by Alice Walker, both authors use imagery and figurative language as a symbol for memories tied to family bonds to illustrate their themes.
In the poem “The Century Quilt” by Marilyn Nelson Waniek, the poet uses such literary devices as imagery to set a picture of her memories with the quilt in the reader’s head, that show why they are so important to her. The use of free verse as the structure of this poem helps emphasize the change overtime, and tone of reminiscence to go back on the past, focus of the present, and to think about the future. The literary elements, imagery, structure, and tone help establish the mosaic meanings that attribute to The Century Quilt. “My sister and I were in love with Meema’s Indian blanket,” establishes a vivid image of what the quilt could appear to be, with knowing what most Indian style blankets look like. The line “Six Van Dyke brown squares,
In the short story, “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, is written in manner to inspire the reader to show them how deep some family traditions can go. Walker, in her writings, tend to talk about issues that she had experienced in her life, and being an African American, she has learned the value of certain things in her life that her parents and grandparents had taught her. The quilt is so important to Dee because it is something that tells a story of the previous generation; the quilt actually consists of pieces of material that the family once used. The issue of the quilt also sets the mood for the story. It helps the reader to understand the deep rooted power simple things can have when it comes to family relations. All this helps explains
Quilts were first brought to the American colonies during this century,”Very few examples of quilts from the early years in America have survived. Those that have tend to be fine quilts that were used for special occasions by those who could afford such luxuries.” (America’s quilting history, n.d) it began to be popular in America during the nineteenth century. In the early years of American colonization women would make these quilts to keep their families warm during the cold winters, they were also used for door hangings and window hangings. Quilts connected to everyday life providing warmth and many other things.
Waniek’s “The Century Quilt” explores the rich meaning behind a simple quilt. By using deep imagery combined with metaphor, the quilt manages to become something much more important than a quilt. In addition to this imagery, the structure of the poem as a whole is also incredibly important to the reader’s understanding of the blanket’s meaning. The poem itself is broken up into three parts: the introduction of the blanket, the introduction of the quilt, and the exploration of the author's family and the quilt.
The symbolic significance of the quilt in Everyday Use represents family heritage. The quilts were handmade by the narrator, her sister, and her mother. The quilts are produced from clothing worn by generations of family members, which represents a lot of memories. The symbolic meaning of the quilt is so powerful that it stretches beyond civil war times. Mama dee in the story mentions “ though in fact, i probably could have carried it back beyond
The quilt itself is formed from the clothing of loved ones and represents the family history. While Maggie remembers the people the clothing originally belonged to Dee does not. Moreover, Dee wishes to escape her family's poverty so she can have the nice things she has always wanted while her mother and sister take pride in their clean yard and elm tree. The two sisters, Maggie and Dee, have clearly taken different paths. Walker does this to suggest that people can either cut themselves from their roots, like Dee or, connect with their backgrounds, like Maggie.
The term “culture” refers to the complex accumulation of knowledge, folklore, language, rules, rituals, habits, lifestyles, attitudes, beliefs, and customs that link and provide a general identity to a group of people. Cultures take a long time to develop. There are many things that establish identity give meaning to life, define what one becomes, and how one should behave.
Culture is the totality of learned, socially transmitted customs, knowledge, material objects and behavior. It includes the ideas, value, customs and artifacts of a group of people (Schaefer, 2002). Culture is a pattern of human activities and the symbols that give these activities significance. It is what people eat, how they dress, beliefs they hold and activities they engage in. It is the totality of the way of life evolved by a people in their attempts to meet the challenges of living in their environment, which gives order and meaning to their social, political, economic, aesthetic and religious norms and modes of organization thus distinguishing people from their neighbors.