Wind-Wolf Argumentative Essay

This world has a variety of cultures, but most of them do not share any similarities. All cultures are based on belief. An individual’s culture shapes their view of the world, and often, they expect all cultures to mirror their own. When it turns out that everyone’s beliefs are not alike, conflict starts to arise between cultures.

Everyone has the right to choose what they believe in but they cannot force someone else to follow their footsteps. Culture is the beliefs and characteristics of a particular group. People see the world in a certain way and their culture plays a huge role in this. “Wind-Wolf was not prepared for his first tentative foray into your world, neither were you [teacher of Wind-Wolf] appreciative of his culture” (Lake). Not appreciating someone’s culture is equivalent to disrespecting them. “Being proud of race, heritage, and culture” holds much importance because it makes up the backbone in everyone’s life (Lake). Wind-Wolf, in An Indian Father’s Plea, is such an amazing child because he believed in his culture and never stopped following it. Even though his teacher did not support what he believed

in, he let nothing affect him. Some similarities happen to also show in The Good Earth. Wang Lung believes that the two small statues in the temple have the “power over earth” (Buck 103). Not every culture believes this. In fact, most of the people in his own town do not even consider the two statues to have any importance. But this does not change Wang Lung and throughout the story, he tries to make sure that at least his family pays respect to the two little statues.
Going to a new country often means learning new things. It also means that change will happen no matter what. “Difference in approach often leads to misunderstandings between two cultures” because everyone does not usually believe in the same thing (Barry). Dave, in Dave Barry Does Japan, says that a “person familiar with the Japanese culture would recognize” things instantly whereas people from other cultures would have a hard time figuring it all out (Barry). Culture shapes people’s lives. Different cultures clash mainly because they do not share any similarities. Dave struggles in Japan because he has no familiarity with the Japanese culture and since he believes in different things from the Japanese, it takes him time to adjust and get acquainted with the lifestyle. In The Good Earth, when Wang Lung and his family venture down to the South in order to survive through the winter, they come upon a completely different way of living. The Southerners had an accent “so brittle and sharp” that it was very hard for Wang Lung to understand (Buck 95). In the South, the people “had tempers which were quick and easily ruffled” unlike the town Wang Lung was from, where everyone tried to keep their calm (Buck 96). These differences in culture made it extremely difficult for Wang Lung and his family to survive in the South, hence why they decide to go back North after the winter was over.
Women play a major role in not only society but also in every culture.

O-lan, from The Good Earth, gets treated terribly and does not have the power to say or do anything. She proves that the Chinese culture treats their women with no respect. This will contradict with many other cultures and can cause lots of conflicts. Most cultures believe that women should be treated justly and fair. If they came upon such cruelty done in the Chinese culture, a lot more than arguments would arise. After giving birth, O-lan “worked all day” and “the child lay on an old torn quilt” (Buck 40). The Chinese culture expects their women to work all day and give birth to many children, therefore, they expect families from other cultures to also have large families. Since all cultures do not have the same beliefs, the view of the world will differ from person to

person.
Some people might have completely different opinions from everyone else, but that does not mean anything is wrong with them. A famous author once said, “The beauty of the world lies in the diversity of its people.” That diversity can only be achieved by culture, the various beliefs that rule the world.