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Impacts of culture on society essay
Conclusion of influence of religion on culture
Impacts of culture on society essay
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As human beings, much of our moral standing ties back to our roots, our culture, how we were raised and where. A lot of the time, these are the factors that play into almost any argument. Your culture changes with time, as you get older and have more experiences, it makes up who you are and depicts your beliefs. Everyone has a culture, some more similar than others, and others are wildly different. “And after all, our surroundings influence our lives and characters as much as fate, destiny or any supernatural agency.” Pauline Hopkins, Contending Forces Both Things Fall Apart and The Poisonwood Bible take place in Africa where the culture is much different then here in the united states. It mentions in both of these books how many of the male characters have a plethora of wives, and the more wives you have, brings you more respect in your village or your clan. The main Character, Okonkwo from Things Fall Apart has three wives. Nwoye, Ekwefi, and Obiageli. In African culture, a wife is an object that can be bought. A “Bride Price” is mentioned when Okonkwo takes part in a discussion about the suitor of Obierika's daughter, when they try to figure out how much the groom should pay the family for the daughter. In The Poisonwood Bible, Leah has a discussion with Anatole about how he needs to save up for a wife someday. But eventually Leah …show more content…
He is not understanding with the people at all. Upon arrival to the congo, the first thing that he does is embarrass and ridicule the people who were so excited for him to come. He Scorns and mocks the toppless Women for their nakedness, and points out several of them individually. Instead of them wanting to know more about what he had to say, many people simply turned against him for his harshness, including his wife and daughters at the end of the
Cultural Relativism is a moral theory which states that due to the vastly differing cultural norms held by people across the globe, morality cannot be judged objectively, and must instead be judged subjectively through the lense of an individuals own cultural norms. Because it is obvious that there are many different beliefs that are held by people around the world, cultural relativism can easily be seen as answer to the question of how to accurately and fairly judge the cultural morality of others, by not doing so at all. However Cultural Relativism is a lazy way to avoid the difficult task of evaluating one’s own values and weighing them against the values of other cultures. Many Cultural Relativist might abstain from making moral judgments about other cultures based on an assumed lack of understanding of other cultures, but I would argue that they do no favors to the cultures of others by assuming them to be so firmly ‘other’ that they would be unable to comprehend their moral decisions. Cultural Relativism as a moral theory fails to allow for critical thoughts on the nature of morality and encourages the stagnation
Alas, in 1961 Patrice Lumumba was assassinated by a US- sponsored plot 7 months after independence, and replaced him with a “puppet dictator named Mobutu” (Kingsolver). In her book, Barbara Kingsolver surfaces a forgotten part of our nation’s history in the exploitation of the Congo through her main characters, the Price family, who are missionaries sent to the Kilanga village. Through characters’ narratives that “double as allegories for the uneasy colonial marriage between the West and Africa” (Hamilton, Jones), Kingsolver creates a relatable way for her readers to understand the theme she is trying to convey, which is “‘what did we do to Africa, and how do we feel about it?’” (Snyder). Kingsolver began with this theme and developed the rest of the novel around it, just as she does with her other works, and sticking with her trademark technique, she utilizes her book as a vessel for “political activism, an extension of the anti-Vietnam protests” she participated in college (Snyder).
Since its 1998 publication, The Poisonwood Bible has primarily been seen as a statement against American exceptionalism. Upon analyzing the novel it is obvious that subjects such as imperialism, religion, the burden of guilt, and the use of, or lack thereof, voices, contribute to multiple points and themes found in the novel. In Susan Strehle’s current article on American exceptionalism explicitly relating to The Poisonwood Bible, she manipulates the topics and themes found in the novel to support her opinion. Unlike Strehle’s one-sided view, multiple themes and motifs in The Poisonwood Bible combine to form a complex and involved plot, further developed by the use of symbolism and both internal and external conflicts of the characters.
Nathan's motive for going to Africa was to try converting some of the villagers from the Kilanga Village to Christianity. Nathan is explaining to Mama Tataba that the citizens are "Broken in body and soul, and don’t even see how they could be healed" (53). Nathan is so fixated with trying to baptize the people of the Congo that he is causing the anger. Many of their conflicts are caused because of race, but here it is religion, the citizens don't appreciate Nathan's approach to baptism. The people of the village do not get along with Nathan, he is ignorant, but since his motive drives him he does not stop.
In “The Poisonwood Bible,” Barbara Kingsolver illuminates on how a rift from one’s homeland and family can simultaneously bring agonizing isolation and an eye opening perspective on life through Leah Price’s character development. As a child exiled away to a foreign country, Leah faces the dysfunction and selfishness of her family that not only separates them from the Congolese, but from each other while she also learns to objectify against tyrants and embrace a new culture.
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver is a work of historical fiction. The novel is based the Congo in 1959, while it was still under Belgian control. Nathan Price is a southern Baptist preacher from Bethlehem, Georgia who uproots his family, consisting of wife and three daughters, and takes them on a mission trip to Kilanga. Orleanna Price, Nathan’s wife, narrates the beginning of each book within the novel. Rachel, Leah, Adah, and Ruth May rotate the narration throughout each book. Rachel is the oldest Price child, and high materialistic. She refuses to accept the ways of the Congo, believing that she is better than everyone simply because of where she had her start in life. Leah is the next oldest, and she is a self-proclaimed tomboy. She likes to climb trees and practically worships at the feet of her father. Adah is the handicapped one, with a physical deformity. However, this deformity does not limit her, instead making her the smartest of the Price girls. Ruth May is the baby of the family, and has not yet lost the childhood innocence that she views the world with. Barbara Kingsolver uses a very interesting narrative style in the novel, switching between four narrators between the ages of five and fifteen, who are all female. Kingsolver's use of multiple narrative perspectives serve to amplify life in the Congo during the early 1960s through characterization, religion, and politics.
Although I appreciate and enjoyed reading about a world in which I have no experience, the imagery in the book was more than enough to show me that I would not survive a day living in Africa. Kingsolver’s vivid imagery and attention to detail hooked me the first few pages. (Like how the family wanted to bring the Better Crocker cake mix). The different detail from each of the Price sisters presents Africa and allowed me to piece it together. I was also able to identify myself with each of the sisters. I see myself as Rachel, Adah, Leah, and Ruth May.
In The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, the romantic standards that are associated with literature during the American Renaissance are evident. This popular novel, a New York Times Bestseller, embodies the concept of Romanticism with its gothic darkness, themes of loss and nostalgia, and a strong captivity narrative. The presence of a wise child and recurring double language are essential to the plot of the story. Nathan Price's misguided mission to save souls in the Congo is transformed into an evil that invades a type of Paradise and so, the reader realizes immediately that this twisted attempt to Christianize the savages will result in a fall of epic proportions. The impending fall and the results are set against a backdrop of revolution and oppression and the Gothic element permeates the narrative as well as the lives of characters throughout The Poisonwood Bible. If analogy and metaphor are the standard trope of Romanticism, this book could serve as an encyclopedic text. Each page is packed with figurative language that transforms and mystifies while using romantic imagery that creates alternately a 'Paradise' and a 'Hell'. "There's a majesty, a 19th-century-novel echo to this sweeping vision of nature doing its thing independent of the human will" (Kerr 7). American Romanticism, as a pattern for successful literature, resounds throughout this modern text.
Barbara Kingsolver, author of The Poisonwood Bible, wrote the work from different perspectives throughout the book. Orleanna Price, the mother, relates stories of America and their significance to the Congo. From the selfish intentions of Rachel Price, the oldest daughter, to the loving, kind, and sincere Ruth May, the youngest daughter, The Poisonwood Bible gives character to each of the narrators within the story. Between Rachel and Ruth are a set of twins named Adah and Leigh. Leigh is the most obedient to Pastor Price, the father, even though their father doesn’t care to show love or respect to the rest of the family. Adah and Leigh are both said to be very intelligent, but Adah and Leigh differ greatly in one aspect: Adah was born with a rare disease called Hemiplegia. This disability affects an entire half of Adah’s body and so she sees the world differently than the rest of the family. Because of the difference in perspective, Adah’s narration in the novel creates a better perspective of life, judgments, and feelings in relation to how societies should be.
In the article “Moral Disagreements”, Kwame Anthony Appiah discusses how disagreements occur when value based questions are asked. Appiah states the relevance of this topic by mentioning that individuals do not have to go to distances in order to be engaged in a moral discussion. Due to technology the world is more connected than ever, brining everyone together regardless of location. This results in the display of various cultures, believes and values. It is important to keep in mind that “if we are to encourage cosmopolitan engagement, moral conversations between people across societies, we must expect disagreements.” According to Appiah it is crucial to understand that every society is unique. There are similarities across societies
There are different cultures around the world. In the book,The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver, the Price family moved to Congo, for the first time leaving their family, and friends in Georgia behind to start their new life for a year.
After telling his wife that he has had enough of everything, and that he was going to "blow his brains out," he explains that this hurt his wife for more than one reason. Perhaps the most apparent reason was that "Her father had committed suicide in the same way, with a pistol (11)." Throwing tantrums like these, cause him to be very unlikable in the beginning of the novel. Once he has arrived in Africa, you start to see a different side of him. Then after leaving the first tribe and staying with the second one for a while, his personality really begins to grow on you.
In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe women in Igbo culture seem to have a complicated life. In the story Okonkwo has three wives which in their culture is normal to have. Women are marginalized and silenced by being poorly treated, being possessions of men, and being treated as objects.
In explaining Cultural Relativism, it is useful to compare and contrast it with Ethical Relativism. Cultural Relativism is a theory about morality focused on the concept that matters of custom and ethics are not universal in nature but rather are culture specific. Each culture evolves its own unique moral code, separate and apart from any other. Ethical Relativism is also a theory of morality with a view of ethics similarly engaged in understanding how morality comes to be culturally defined. However, the formulation is quite different in that from a wide range of human habits, individual opinions drive the culture toward distinguishing normal “good” habits from abnormal “bad” habits. The takeaway is that both theories share the guiding principle that morality is bounded by culture or society.
Cultures and societies around the world often have different moral beliefs. From an anthropological perspective, to deny cultures any validity in their moral beliefs would be a delusional ethnocentric refusal of cultural relativism. From a moral philosophical perspective, however, this is a conflicting matter. Is morality then simply a social construct based purely on arbitrary opinions? Are there no universal moral truths? In response, conventional ethical relativism puts forth the notion that there are indeed no objective moral truths. In other words, “there are no absolute or objective moral standards that apply to all people everywhere”, which would make all moral beliefs justified as a result of cultural relativism (98, 100). Another response to this moral dilemma would be that moral objectivism still holds because morals