Second Simple Quiz In the book, The Place of Stunted Ironwood Trees, by Dr. David P. Crandall, the Himba's world structure is manifested through detailed information of their ideals and their social world, where the reader can truly see their lives. These ideals and cultural background that the Himba have explain and define their families and marriages, structure of government and politics, religion and spiritual life, and their place in the social structure. Himba just like any societies have expectations and social norms that they are used to. The author uses individuals and their actions to describe the collective imaginary world that the Himba live and are accustomed to. The ideals and beliefs of the Himba, relating to their collective world, is based on their god Mukuru, their ancestors, and Omiti, which is the center and the basis of governing and maintaining the Himba society. The imaginary world of the collective Himba applies to the people of Himba and their individuals' perception, actions, and interpretations. They are however all different perceptions of their world and how they deviate from the social norm. The same ideas of different perception and deviance can be seen in the student of BYU away from the imaginary world of our society in the United States. The imaginary world of the collective Himba can be described and defined by their deity, Mukuru, and his interaction and guidance of the Himba people. They believe that Mukruru is the Supreme Being that guide them and assist them in their lives. "We live because Mukuru gives us life, and when we die we are not lost" (Crandall 24). The Himba believe that it is the will of Murkuru that they live and they will be saved when they are dead. "The Himba believed that ... ... middle of paper ... ... away from the norm. Himba’s collective world revolves around Mukuru, the ancestors, and omiti. Most people in the Himba society try to follow the system in their society; some diverge and deviate away through different interpretations and perspectives. The Himba society, like other societies in our world has expectations and contributions that each individual makes in the society. Each individual in the society contributes through their own perspective of the world. Although, people have different opinions and deviance, they live and work together through the common belief of the Himba Society. The individuals in the Himba society that have personal views and opinions of the world reinforce individualism and the different traits that all human beings share. In any society in our world we see individualism and traits that distinguishes us as individuals.
Within this paper, a glimpse into the Yupiaq society will hopefully be accomplished by answering a few questions. First question, what is the Yupiaq worldview? Next, what are the core values that are essential to the success of Yupiaq society? And finally, how are those values expressed in their approach to subsistence behaviors and knowledge of their environment?
A human being is a complicated entity of a contradictory nature where creative and destructive, virtuous and vicious are interwoven. Each of us has gone through various kinds of struggle at least once in a lifetime ranging from everyday discrepancies to worldwide catastrophes. There are always different causes and reasons that trigger these struggles, however, there is common ground for them as well: people are different, even though it is a truism no one seems to able to realize this statement from beyond the bounds of one’s self and reach out to approach the Other.
Since these traditions have become apparent through centuries they are customary and have a tendency to lack individualism, as the group among which a person lives is seen as more important over the individual. In many parts of the world today, you can examine such cultures and see the ways that individuals offer themselves to family and community life.
Most of the elements and anecdotes described in this book are simply amazing and very insightful. But the fact that the Dagara culture associates life with a mission particularly caught my attention. This belief is the basic theme of the book. It made me wonder about my own beliefs and my own life mission.
Many societies have beliefs rooted deep in ancient religion. Some beliefs include polygamy, polytheism, and patriarchy, or rule by men. One such culture is that of Achebe's Things Fall Apart. Polytheism and polygamy are custom in the clan, and the role of each family member is very defined. The men are overly domineering. The women and children are treated poorly and often beaten. Life in Achebe's Umuofia would seem very different to someone living in modern day America.
It is the undertaking of a journey by one man alone, Qindil Muhammad al-Innabi, to find a society with absolute perfection. Qindil travels through the fictitious lands of “the homeland”, Al Mashriq, Halba, Haira, and Aman— each land with its own unique concept of social structure behind the way the people live, religion, and government systems. Qindil observes and notes the stark differences between each country toward his own perceptions of the perfect society. It is also apparent that beliefs such as simplicity, justice, or freedom match how the society develops in contrast to one another. Naguib Mahfouz writes the novel to comment on the varying outcomes of society based on the inhabitant 's values and traditions. Other prominent African literatures also give way to substantial insights of their very own social organizations via culture as well, particularly seen in Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and The River Between by Ngugi Wa Thiong 'O. It is without doubt that culture serves as the fundamental driver behind the development of a
Since the beginning of society, societal expectation has caged the individuality of humanity, coiling its lethal body around its prey and suffocating until no unique identity remained intact. This has shaped and created a superficial mask that people parade in front of others, restricting their genuine characteristics in favor of more “desirable” ones. These manacles of the mind restrain the very thing that makes us human -our uniqueness- and distorts it so that it can place us in boxes of our limitations and expectations. Characters from Let the Great World Spin and Song of Solomon are seduced by the allure of a societal “norm”, changing their behaviour to fit into their designated social category, but the ultimate goal in life is actually
… The cultures of Zuni, Dobu.…differ from one another not only because one trait is present here and absent there…They differ still more because they are oriented as wholes in different directions. They are traveling along different roads in pursuit of different ends…(223).
The Ibo culture is a culture of traditions and order. They stick to common religions, practices, and general ways of living. They have several traditions relating to the respect of ancestors, Gods, men, and several other external and spiritual beings. The people of Umuofia depend greatly on unity, several Gods, and opportunities of social ranking to control their land. Though, in the long term their traditional ways of living will not stand in a rapidly changing world. In order to stay connected and alive, I believe that the Ibo people have to learn to adapt while maintaining their individuality.
Most have heard the classical paradox of the chicken and the egg. Which came first, the chicken or the egg? The same question can apply to the individual and society. Which comes first? To answer the question, a concept of the individual must be established and the origins of society must be explored. Only then can one compare and contrast their roles in relation to the other. Two revolutionary thinkers, Soren Kierkegaard and Bertolt Brecht, will give their arguments of opposition to try to determine whether the power between society and the individual is pulled in one particular direction than the other. In conclusion, an answer will be produced to the question: the chicken, society, or the egg, the individual? The concept of the individual is difficult to define in a way that is universally accepted, due to its historical and cultural variability. Th individual is a historical being in that he developes a personality as he grows and circulates within his or her family, peer group, neighborhood and eventually within the society as a whole. He developes in the process patterns of feeling, thinking, and habits. An individual is also a cultural being. Culture includes religion, philosophy, science, technology, art, education, politics, etc within a given society. The concept of the individual emerged, across western society at the end of the middle ages (1200-1400), with the rise and expansion of a new social class: the bourgeoise. During the historical emergence of a new social class, the bourgeoisie, co-developing was a new form of society. The feudal society, which had come to an end, saw the emergence of the hierarchy of social groups, making people dependent on others. On the shoulders of the common man grew an enormous parasit...
Throughout this essay it can be seen that these societies were different and similar in many ways. Each had its own set of beliefs about the gods, how people should be categorized, and how a government should be run. By studying these past societies we can learn much about how the great societies of the world became what they are today, and how far they have progressed.
In the book “Things Fall Apart”, evidence of a social structure was apparent within the Igbo community. This rigid social structure served as a purpose to balance the life of the people within the society, as well as promoting the downfall of the clan. The social structure was important in keeping a centralized society and preventing any sign of corruption within their clan. The social structure had advantages in keeping a balanced and equal society, supporting a division of labor, providing a surplus of food, individual huts, a communal society, and the development of some kind of government. In contrast, this social structure led others to reject to cooperate with the new religion and aided the lack of unity among the people. It also promoted a more patriarchal society, the inferior rank of women, and the lack of strong bonds between family members.
In the end, what we learn from this article is very realistic and logical. Furthermore, it is supported with real-life examples. Culture is ordinary, each individual has it, and it is both individual and common. It’s a result of both traditional values and an individual effort. Therefore, trying to fit it into certain sharp-edged models would be wrong.
India sits in the middle of the scale and can be considered both individualistic and collective. There is great need for belonging to a bigger social framework. In Indian culture family is highly stressed. They strive to increase and preserve their family’s riches, by working hard in order to maintain the family’s dignity and insure the longevity of their offspring.. On the other hand the individualistic aspects of Indian culture are influenced by the major religion in India, which is Hinduism. Hindus believe in reincarnation where past lives are seen as affecting and determining the present life, as a result of this individuals are responsible for how they live their lives and how that will impact their next lives. Since aspects of both individualism and collectivism are present, India scores intermediately in this dimension. (Cultural tools, n.d.)
In general, individual cannot be built without the continuous outpouring him or her into the society for understanding his or her position and identity. It is impossible that an infant is able to figure out he or she is a human being before he or she has the conception about “human being.” A man cannot know whether he is smart or not without comparison with other men. Therefore, all information about an individual must be obtained from other individuals in one society. The biological process of being a social individual is the time when the individual interacts with an outside social environment in both physical and emotional ways. The reason why an individual has to touch and output outside environment is the incompleteness of society. That is, there is no society which does not base on human beings because society is not a biologically extraneous phenomenon, and the society must be shaped by activities of every individual. With the continual establishment of the relationship between every individuals and social world, the existence of society become real. In short, the broader social world is the product of the activities of human