Aspects and traits of different cultures and how they communicate Essay Example for Free

Aspects and traits of different cultures and how they communicate Essay Culture can be interpreted differently by different people but the general meaning of culture can be defined as people’s way of life which is passed from one generation to another and also shared among other different societies. The world has very many different societies and each of these societies have their own way of life, their beliefs and norms. The activities that people involve themselves in and the beliefs they hold is what normally forms their culture. These cultural beliefs are the ones that distinguish one society from other societies and therefore many societies hold their culture as a very important symbol of identification(Neil). This document discusses the general aspects and traits of different cultures. It also gives a detailed view of how this traits and aspects are communicated within the societies and also across to other societies The aspects of culture generally display the general way of life of most societies in the world. These aspects can be a useful base to compare how different societies in the world live. One of the most prominent aspects of culture is the government structure of the societies and the international relation ships of this society with the outside world. Government within any society refers to the way the people in any society will make their laws and how these laws are enforced to the society. It also brings out the issues of leadership and how it is passed on to others within the society. All the societies in the world have different types of governments and the way one government is run is certainly not the same as the other society. The way laws are made and enforced is also independent among the different societies. For example, the United States of America has its own way of making laws and enforcing them, which is different from the way the African countries or other European countries do it. The procedures that are followed in the US to elect a president are not the same as the procedures that will be followed in Australia, china, or any other country. The international relations between one country and other country are simply not the same. The way the government of UK relates with the government of Canada is not the same way it will relate to a country like Nigeria. The international relations ships are different between one society and other all over the world (Shapiro, p25) . Another important aspect of culture is the economies of the societies and the resources available to them. The resources that are available to one society may not be available to another society. This can be due to different geographical locations which may favor some societies with better resources than others. For example, some societies in the world have natural resources while others do not have any natural resources. The resources available define a society’s way of earning a living. For example some societies especially in the African continent have abundant natural resources and most of them may depend on agriculture for a living. Other countries such as Korea have to import the raw materials for their manufacturing industries. The resources available and the type of management will then define the type of economies the societies will have at the end of the day. The scarcity of resources within the different societies has for example brought about trade and this has formed a major characteristic of culture in the different societies(Benedict,p13). The societies have different spiritual believes and this forms the basis of religion in the different societies. People within the societies have their own believes about the supernatural powers and this has given the society a clear definition of what to worship. For example the different societies in the world have different religions. While some societies believe in Christianity, others believe in Islamic, Hindu, cults among other religions. These beliefs affect the society’s way of life very differently. The way the Islamic religion dictates life is not the same as the Christianity. Their practices and believes are different. The passing of these religions between the societies is also very different. While to some like Islam it is mandatory other societies find it a personal choice and therefore optional (Lull,p22) Literacy and technology is another aspect of culture. This aspect brings out the different ways in which different societies acquire education. For example how they attend school and the type of school curricula that is followed. The education system in most word societies are not the same. The kind of technology that is incorporated in the school programs is very different from one society to another. Some societies such as western societies have more advanced technology than societies in the African context. What is taught in the school curricula is also different from one society to another. This eventually affects the types of societies that are finally brought up in future. Some of the societies are more technologically advanced that other societies in the world(Shapiro, p27) . Community and family life forms another part of the cultural aspect. This gives an approach of how people live and how closely they are related to each other. This also defines the kind of housing that the individuals may live in. Different societies construct their houses differently according to their beliefs. While some societies believe in stone built houses, some societies may construct mud hoses thatched with grass. The shapes and finishing of the houses constructed by the different societies is also different owing to their beliefs. The way the societies are divided for example in terms of race, ethnicity, family among others is also very different. This clearly means that the defined relationships between the family members in the societies are different. For example the way the younger people relate to the elders within the society is different across the world societies. The occasions and how they are celebrated within the societies is also very unique. For example they way the Chinese embrace their culture is not the same as then Indian society(Benedict, p17). The cultural arts and crafts within the societies are diversified. The arts that you will find in America are not the same as the arts in Asia. All the societies in the world have their unique paintings, music, sculptures, and architecture. The way the societies make the pottery, carvings, baskets, mats and others is very different. The kind of music enjoyed by one culture is not the same as the other society. These cultural aspects are known to exist in every society. The only difference is that every society has a unique and independent way of approaching each aspect. Apart from the aspects of culture in the societies, another major characteristic of culture is its traits. All cultures across the different societies have common traits. One of the cultural traits in the society is that culture is learned. All of us are born and raised in different societies. One is not born with the culture of any specific society. Individuals learn the culture of the society they are born in. If a child is born in a different culture from his parents, the child is likely to learn the culture of the second society and not that of his /her parents. Another trait of culture is that it is transmitted from one generation to another. People do not form other cultures when they are born. Instead the older people normally pass the culture in their society to the younger generations within the same society(Neil). This reinforces and maintains culture within the societies. This is because, if a culture is not passed from one generation to the next, it is most likely that that culture will eventually die. The older people therefore normally hold the responsibility of teaching the younger people the beliefs , traditions, values and norms of the society. Culture is dependent on the world of symbols to communicate it from one generation to another. This means that the methods used to pass culture in one society are basically similar as methods used in another society. The symbols that are normally relied upon by the societies are the verbal and non-verbal symbols of communication. Other symbols that may be used to communicate culture include icons and images. Change is another important trait of culture. This means that there is no one culture that is not subject to change. The culture that used to be followed by our great grand parents is not the same culture that we follow today. As times change, people keep changing what they believe in and this eventually changes the culture of the society (Benedict, p18). Change of culture is normally subject to the various changes that occur in our daily lives. For example changes in the education systems, change in technological advancement of the society, discoveries and innovations that may occur as life progresses. All the societies have another important cultural trait of superiority over other cultures. This trait is referred to as ethnocentric. The societies believe that their norms, values and practices are superior and far much better than those of other societies. This trait is a major source of conflict between societies since none of the societies will accept to be put down by another society. This trait helps the individuals within any particular society to feel proud of themselves and portray the positive image of their society. The final cultural trait in the societies is the adaptive nature of culture. As the world advances the changes that come with it must readily be acceptable within the societies. For example most cultures in the past regarded women as a weaker sex and their role in the society was very minimal. As the technological advancement took ground, women have adapted different roles in the society and today they perform the roles that were previously referred as masculine roles. People keep adapting different styles of life as change is adapted within the cultural context of the societies (Neil). Culture is communicated using different methods within the society. Communication of culture is done through various methodologies of learning. Culture itself can be learnt consciously or unconscious. Unconscious methods include observation and practicing of what other people do within your culture. The younger people may for example start dressing, singing and behaving like other people do within their society by just observing and imitating them. The conscious methods include reading about the culture and being taught by the older generation about your culture (Benedict, p23) Culture is taught to the younger generation through proverbs, folktales, myths folklore, art, music, poetry and mass media. Many are the times when our grand parents would tell stories related to our culture. The younger generation is then expected to behave in a manner that suits the lessons they learn from the stories and legends they hear. Everything that we do in our lives, both in the verbal and non-verbal originates from what we learnt in our cultural back ground. Apart from the older generation, culture can also be learnt from other sources such as our families, teachers ,religious organizations and our peer groups. Within the family context, parents hold the sole responsibility of teaching their young ones how to behave in accordance to the society’s value and norms(Lull, p28). They introduce them to the religious education and also the formal education system. What a child starts learning from the beginning of child hood forms a big ground for the cultural beliefs. For example, a child introduced to Islamic faith when very young and has grown believing in it would be very difficult to change and start believing in other religions such as Hindu or Christianity. In the institutions that we grow in, peer groups are likely to result and this forms another source where culture is learnt within the society. One is eager to learn what the other knows that he/she does not know and in this way we find that culture quickly passes to other individuals (Lull, p33). Culture is not only passed within the societies but it is passed to other societies. This has become very common in today’s societies where we find that individuals do not strictly stick to the beliefs in their own society. This has resulted from the effects of globalization that takes place in the present world. Many societies today are very integrated in different aspects of life such as marriage, trade, education among others. With such integration we find that people start dressing like other societies, eating foods similar to other societies, appreciating arts and traditions of other societies among others. People learn about other cultures through adaptation of behaviors and norms of the society at interest. Trade, media, intermarriages and education have become the best mechanisms of passing the cultures from one society to another (Toomey, p10) . In conclusion culture has the same general aspects and traits within the different societies across the world. The only difference is how these characteristics are interpreted in the different world societies. Culture is no longer viewed the same as it used to be in the past. Many individuals today do not know about their culture due to the adaptation of other societal cultures which is often mixed with the native culture. This has given rise to societies with very diverse believes and many cultural conflicts within the society. Works cited Dennis ONeil. (2007). Characteristics of Culture. Available from: http://anthro. palomar. edu/culture/culture_2. htm Harry Lionel Shapir. Aspects of Culture. Ayer Publishing, 1970, p23-56 Lull, J. Media, Communication, Culture: A global approach. New York, Columbia University Press, 1995, p16-34 Ruth Benedict Patterns of Culture. Mariner Books, 2005,p13-44 Ting Toomey, S. Communicating across cultures. New York, Guilford, 1999, p4-18

Sir Gawain and Green Knight Essays: The Power of Three :: Sir Gawain Green Knight Essays

The Power of Three in Sir Gawain and the Green Knight A recurrent theme in almost all Old English writings involves the number three. Beowulf fought the dragon in three rounds. In Morte Darthur, King Arthur sent Sir Bedivere to throw Excalibur into the lake three times. In Sir Gawain and the Green Knight the number three has a triple importance. In this story there were three different events that each happened in three stages: The three hunts of the Lord, the three seductions by the Lady, and the three swings of the ax that the Green Knight took; all three relate to each other. The hunting and the seductions are both closely related to each other, but there is a little twist involved with the characters of these situations. The role of the game that the Lord is hunting is also the role of the Lady, but in the seduction scenes, it is the hunter being hunted by the prey. In the first hunt, the Lords prey is a deer. The deer was skittish and not much of a challenge; the first time the Lady seduced Sir Gawain she was a little skittish and not much of a challenge. Also, the Lord, "Let the bucks go by, with their broad antlers, for it was counted a crime, in the close season, if a man of that demesne should molest the male deer" (lines 1154-6). Just as it was a crime to hunt bucks at that time, it was also a crime for the Lady to "molest the male deer." But, she was only following the will of her Lord, something that Sir Gawain did not know at the time. The Lady’s seduction intimidated Sir Gawain, and this is where we can relate the first swing of the Gree n Knight’s ax. The Green Knight stopped his swing the first time because Sir Gawain flinched as the ax was coming. This fear of his death can be related to his fear of the seduction of the Lady. For both situations he had his life to fear (adultery is punishable by death), and at both situations he showed his fear. In the end, Sir Gawain exchanged the one kiss he received from the Lady for the deer that the Lord killed, as in their agreement of whatever was won would be exchanged at the end of the day.

Fact and Fancy in Hard Times Essay

Discuss the significance of Fact and Fancy in Hard Times with particular reference to Dickens’ presentation of the worlds of Sleary’s circus and Coketown. You should focus closely on techniques used and effects created and how both of these things shape our response, as readers, to the text. Dickens uses a range of techniques to present the idea of the importance of and contrast between Fact and Fancy, such as the settings of the contrasting ‘worlds’ in the novel, imagery, and the very language he uses. Dickens lived in an era of growing industrial powers, where the ‘hands’ inside ravenous factories were many and depersonalised. With such an economy rapidly expanding, it could be considered the only logical that the value placed upon emotion, leisure and human compassion was hastily replaced by a focus on work ethic, greed and a strong class segregation. The rapid changes of the time benefited some people long before others. Dickens is concerned with those still waiting for improvements and raises key moral and social questions in his writing, mainly focusing upon the need for schooling, the cruelty to and corruption of children, the problems arising from rapid industrialisation and the problems created by emphasis on social class and newly acquired wealth. All of which can be seen in Hard Times. Dickens was, however criticised in his time. Gissing said that he â€Å"did not know the North of England† and that the character of Blackpool was a â€Å"mere model of meekness†. So this perceived representation of the industrial town and working class characters could be looked at sceptically by readers. To present the differences between fact and fancy Dickens uses setting: an important technique at his disposal to instil in the readers mind a clear visualisation of the differentiating places using imagery not just simple description. In this case the contrast between harsh industry and the compassion of human nature. Dickens describes Coketown as â€Å"a town of machinery and tall chimneys†, instantly giving the reader the image of an industrial Northern town, similar to the representation of Victorian industry towns and cities in modern media adaptations of Victorian novels. With its â€Å"black canal† and a river that â€Å"runs purple with ill smelling dye† the reader is instantly aware of the unpleasant setting Dickens’ creates. The bricks of the buildings here â€Å"would have been red if the smoke and ashes  allowed it†: the smoke is conditioned to be connected with the very name of Coketown. Using the colour â€Å"black† further emphasises the darkness of the industrialised Coketown, and ‘purple’ a show of contrasting fact and fancy. That is, purple in the canal being artificial yet a factual occurrence and even a product of the philosophy of fact practiced in Coketown. Ironically, Dickens uses creative metaphors in his representation of this world of facts, such as the comparison between the imagery in Coketown – the â€Å"painted face of a savage† where the reader could infer a contextual meaning – Dickens attempt to portray a supposedly civilised society truly being a savage and cruel society. The â€Å"interminable serpents of smoke† where one could consider a religious aspect – the serpent leading human kind into sin in the Garden of Eden, representing Dickens view of society of his time being led astray by the ever increasing industrialisation. The steam-engine working up and down like â€Å"an elephant in a state of melancholy madness† which supplies the reader with a depressive visualisation of the heavy, monotonous and slow industry and how it must feel to be seemingly trapped in this factory; the feeling of slowly going ‘mad’ with the repetition. Comparing these uses of imagery to Slearys circus, the reader becomes aware of a great deal of care on Dickens part from the carefully placed contrasting images. The Pegasus, the winged horse that wouldn’t be accepted in the Fact philosophy of Coketown, appears twice in the chapter titled â€Å"Slearys’ Horsemanship†. The second occurrence of which is described as â€Å"theatrical†, covered with â€Å"golden stars† with a harness of â€Å"red silk†. These all directly contradict the metaphorical animals used in Coketowns description, and the monotonous smoke stained effect given to the reader. The horse – a grand, proud â€Å"Quadruped† animal, fast, strong and agile, comparatively to the slow mad elephant of Coketown is metaphorically symbolic of not only the contrasting people of the two settings, but the places themselves and the community each possess. Contrastingly to the use of colours in the description of Coketown, the circus is filled with colours such as ‘golden’ and ‘red’, these colours being of royalty and leisure, ironically to the supposedly lesser setting of the novel. The very fabric of silk itself is a luxurious commodity. Slearys’ circus can be seen  as a place where the reader can finally ‘breathe’, away from the smoke and industrialisation that compresses them while they read of Coketown. The reader becomes aware of the significance of the difference between the two by careful detail Dickens includes and the techniques he uses. The contrast between fact and fancy is also presented in theme of education, and its characters. The school is there to instil â€Å"nothing but facts† into the children. The class room is bare, no colours or imagination, and the teachers equally stern and monotonous (almost the point of â€Å"madeness†). The use dialogue at the beginning of the novel gives Dickens the opportunity to ridicule one of the philosophers of fact in Coketown, Mr Gradgrind. The specific choice of language is worth noting as an important example of the mocking of the coldness of fact in both the world in Hard Times and contextually the Victorian era. The phrase â€Å"root out everything else†, more specifically â€Å"root†, Dickens may be presenting his dislike of the coldness towards imagination and the emotional response in the Victorian era itself by referring to the supposedly ‘non-factual’ parts of the self comparatively to weeds amongst the theoretical crop of what the Victorians classed as the intellect. The description of the other character presented in the beginning chapters, the schoolmaster Mr M’Chokemchild, is also an important example of character differences: â€Å"(†¦) some one hundred and forty (†¦) turned at the same time, (†¦) same factory, (†¦) same principles, like so many pianoforte legs†. He describes them as being made all the same, namely with the same principles, mocking the Victorian rigid beliefs. Once more, the language Dickens choses- this time he depersonalises them to emotionless characters by comparing them to mere â€Å"pianoforte legs† – to be at the foundation of and hold up the body of the fraudulent founders of the philosophy of Fact. Dickens also subtly shows the uselessness of the philosophy by the way the children, whom are supposedly â€Å"educated†, appear. For example, Louisa, who is educated by Mr Grandgrind: â€Å"(†¦) a fire with nothing to burn, a starved imagination keeping life in itself somehow(†¦)† A strongly repressed passionate young girl who through education has become depressed and cold. And Blitzer, who eagerly adhered to Grandgrinds’ teachings as a child growing up to become a uncompassionate egotist: he becomes the light porter at Bounderby’s bank, spies on Tom and the other clerks, and only follows the  economic principle of complete self-interest. Dickens tries to show how education so greatly shapes a person’s character by using the space of time that passes in the novel to show the growth of the children. More importantly to show how the forced factual education has a damaging effect on individuals – innocent individuals. This ‘killing’ of compassion in the children could be considered to be Dickens way of presenting the damage caused by ‘fact’ in society. The reader could infer that the presentation of the battle between fact and fancy, or even the mere existence of it, is significant because Dickens is presenting a contextual view into the society he is living in. Dickens was rebelling against the way imagination and compassion was viewed and the way knowledge was defined, by reflecting to readers this world and the battle between Fact and Fancy. Bibliography Dickens, Hard Times, Penguin Classics (July 2007) George Gissing â€Å"Dickens and the Working Class† (1898)

Ethical Virtue and Nobility Essay - 1022 Words

Aristotle, in the Nicomachean Ethics, asserts that every ethical virtue aims at what is noble. In order to establish his definition of nobility, Aristotle takes the example of the virtue of courage. This virtue aims at what is noble, namely the common good, and this noble end is reached through courageous acts done by a brave man. There is a direct relationship between becoming good and loving what is noble. In order to become a good person, one must be conditioned to love what is noble and hate what is ignoble. This person will develop the proper character and be able to perform virtuous acts. One cannot become good without reverence for nobility. Furthermore, there also is a direct relationship between ethics and what is noble. Ethics†¦show more content†¦The brave man in battle therefore exhibits the noblest and greatest form of courage. Aristotle goes on to elaborate the meaning of bravery. The man is in a healthy middle between cowardice and rashness. He is not fearles s in every situation, as one might assume, but instead is the man who â€Å"faces and who fears the right things and from the right motive, in the right way and at the right time, and who feels confidence under the corresponding conditions† (EN III.7). Virtuous actions are done for their own sake, and so the same applies to the virtue of courage. The brave man works for courage as an end, which is noble. Therefore, the brave man acts courageously for a noble end. The concept of nobility becomes clear here. The brave man enters into a dangerous situation with a high possibility of death for the good of others. This self-sacrifice and aim for the common good is most likely what Aristotle had in mind when referring to nobility. As for how loving what is noble is connected to becoming good, a love for nobility is necessary to be able to do good acts and be a good person. No one is born good and development of the soul is required for a person to become good. In order to have peop le act in accordance to good, they have to be â€Å"cultivated by means of habits for noble joy and noble hatred† (EN X.9). In order to instill virtue, for most people force is needed and their good actionsShow MoreRelatedRole of Gods and Goddesses in Homers Iliad845 Words   |  4 PagesThrough these attachments the individual members of the audience go through a catharsis, a term which Aristotle borrowed from the medical writers of his day, which means a refining -- the viewer of a tragedy refines his or her sense of difficult ethical issues through a vicarious experious of such thorny problems. Clearly, for Aristotles theory to work, the tragic hero must be a complex and well-constructed character, as in Sophocles Oedipus the King. As a tragic hero, Oedipus elicits the threeRead MoreAristotle s Doctrine Of The Mean Real Quick1571 Words   |  7 PagesAristotle discusses one of his most famous principles in great detail, the ‘Doctrine of the Mean’. It declare s that a moral (ethical) action is a mean between two extremes, and that a virtuous person is capable of choosing the mean consistently. Although the first example of means given above is arithmetic in nature, Aristotle’s doctrine applies to a much wider set. Ethical virtue, Aristotle asserts, is a habit, disposed toward action by deliberate choice, being at the mean relative to us, and definedRead MoreThe Idea Of A University1528 Words   |  7 Pagesconnection between knowledge and virtue. It is not in Newman’s attempt to use liberal education to form the way men makes choices. He believes there should not be a morale correlation to education and ethical decision making, saying, â€Å"knowledge is one thing, virtue is another; good sense is not conscience, refinement is not humility, nor is largeness and justice of view faith.† He does emphasis that the knowledge one obtains through liberal education may lead to better virtue because of the vastness ofRead MoreComparing The Attitude Towards Human Nature On Confucianism And Legalism1589 Words   |  7 Pagesâ€Å"good government and harmonio us human relations† (Chan, 15). In order to achieve such a lofty goal, he advocated for government that ruled with morality and virtue, instead of punishment and forceful suppression. From the Analects, the viewpoints and values of Confucianism towards human nature mentioned prior are made clear. Confucius urged ethical and virtuous behavior, and believed a responsible government was a moral obligation of mankind. Such values are readily observed in the Analects, such asRead MoreSimilarities Between Confucianism And Taoism794 Words   |  4 Pagesother as well as the relationships that humans had with nature. They were atheistic in a sense that they had no supreme being, but they did believe in Tien which can be thought of as heaven for confusions. This concept of Tien was used to promote ethical rule, leading to the concept that humanity was perfectible via education and that morality is a matter of practice or habits. This was their idea of propriety, which has an emphasis on rituals to care for the diseased similarly to the way one shouldRead MoreThe Wonderful Wizard Of Oz1522 Words   |  7 PagesContesting Conjectures in L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz An individual can claim to be ethical, but validation requires consistently commendable action. This assertion connects to L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, in which he follows the journey and maturation of Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman, and the Lion as they travel the Land of Oz pursuing objects and virtues they already possess. When a cyclone carries Dorothy and her dog Toto to an alternate universe in whichRead MoreThe Tragic Hero Of Euripides Medea 1080 Words   |  5 Pagesking, to whom Jason is now kin, thus his high position in society. He is taking a noble outlook on the matter and refuses to let Medea ruin his values and virtues. Although Medea has wronged him and spoken ill of he and his new family, he still offers her help and cannot bring himself to do the same, or feel the same. He maintains his nobility and strong character throughout, not straying from his path excluding his tragic flaw of adultery. Medea cannot be considered a tragic hero due to her actionsRead MoreEssay about Chivalry in the Middle Ages: Illusion or Reality?1922 Words   |  8 Pagesquestioned whether the knights and nobility of the time actually took it any more seriously than we do. Johan Huizinga described it as â€Å"a cloak for a whole world of violence and self-interest† , an â€Å"illusion of society [that] clashed with the reality of things† , and in our rather cynical age, this is probably the predominant view of the middle ages. Nonetheless, it is not a view that has gone unchallenged by more recent historians, and even Huizinga concedes that for the nobility, chivalry constituted â€Å"anRead MoreA Comparison Of A Bodhisattva And Junzi870 Words   |  4 Pagesengaging. The equivalent of an accomplished religious figure in Buddhism is a bhodisattva, or one who is dedicates his life to attaining complete enlightenment for all living beings. A superior person in Confucianism is one is â€Å"worthy of high station by virtue of moral achievement† (Hagen). These figures parallel each other in terms of action, relationships, and morality. In the following essay, I will compare the relating aspects of the junzi and bodhisattva. In their moral characteristics, the bodhisattvaRead MoreThe Media and Its Responsibilities Essays1688 Words   |  7 Pagesevery citizen. I will discuss the unease relating to media responsibility today, but I will also challenge to depict the importance of the responsibility. A utilitarian purpose can be proficient only through an endeavor to added diverse ethical standards established by the social order improve our society. The media are what we read, listen to and watch; the foremost impact is psychological, intellectual and share commercial implications. Many media outlets cater to the business