Cecelia Hurt Mrs. Coleman English IV 28 August 2014 Anglo-Saxon vs. Modern American Sororities While they may be different in their contrasting views of their outlook on women, economic issues, and social values, the Anglo-Saxon culture of ancient England is surprisingly similar to the sorority culture of modern American colleges. Though the cultures are hundreds of years apart in time, they have remarkably similar characteristics. Anglo-Saxons and Sororities both put a heavy emphasis on fame or popularity. The Anglo-Saxons wanted to be remembered or talked about before and after they died. In “Beowulf”, at the very last second of the fight between Beowulf and the dragon, Beowulf told Wiglaf that he just wanted to make sure his legacy is …show more content…
In order to be an honest member in a sorority, a student has to be loyal. Members keep secrets within their own sorority houses and are proud of the organization they are part of. Legacies, which are siblings or children of former sorority members, are especially entitled to be loyal to the sorority they are sworn in. They have a duty as a sister of the sorority to be loyal to their fellow sisters. Anglo-Saxons were very loyal to each other as warriors and as friends. Like in Beowulf when Wiglaf was the only warrior that was loyal to Beowulf as their leader: “And only one of them remained, stood there, miserable, remembering, as a good man must, what kinship should mean…His name was Wiglaf…He could see how his king was suffering, burning. Remembering everything his lord and cousin had given him.” (“Beowulf” lines 749-756) When they would be involved in a fight or war, they would always fight to their death and honor their …show more content…
The Anglo-Saxon’s had a habit of treating women as inferior to men. However, sororities are women fraternities, so they are all-girl. They believe in helping young women become just as successful as men. The Anglo-Saxon’s value music and poetry, whereas sororities do not put any value, as a whole group, on those. In college sorority life, a student is pledged in as a member and pays a monthly fee in order to stay in the sorority. One of the main goals of sororities is community service. The sororities want to give back to the community in order to play a positive role in society. The Anglo-Saxon’s were not a private
At a young age I knew as an African American woman through activism, educational autonomy, and community service, I can thrive through the wake of extreme poverty and turmoil faced by the people of my neighborhood of East New York. My interest in Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc., would be based solely on their ethical standards, history, and values they are founded upon. The ladies of this organization exude exemplary character who excel in sisterhood, respect, honesty, accountability, and integrity. Throughout my life I always encouraged myself to have these ideal characteristics without knowing that one day I would be pursuing membership in a prestigious organization, whom upheld the key principles “greater service, greater progress. The first
I myself am from a very “awkward” dichotomy. The reason for that is that I grew up in Oak Cliff Texas, a low socioeconomic neighborhood with the a very criminal atmosphere. However, my father was able to obtain upward mobility through his construction business that he built, therefore I have always been financially well off. Since I grew up in Oak Cliff and attended an inner city public high school my classmates were mostly of low socioeconomic background and well, the nature of their behavior is very much like mine. Now when I attended A&M I decided to join a fraternity. There is “Latino” fraternities available for students to join on campus but I joined one that is recognized by the IFC (Intra Fraternity Council). This is one of the barriers amongst universities’ Greek life systems themselves. As described in the book, Greek life systems generate a barrier where students of low socioeconomic status find it harder to join. The fraternities and sororities that are recognized by the “IFC” are those that are categorized by the student body as “cool or better” organizations. Those that aren’t recognized by the IFC are seen as the “poor or gay” organizations. Those fraternities that are recognized by the IFC on campus as far as I know are all white. Latino or Black fraternities and sororities aren’t recognized by the IFC, at least at A&M. I am the only Minority in the fraternity that I am apart of, and I sometimes recognize that I am different in different aspects than most of the members and can feel the “isolation” that is described in the book. Once my fraternity was having an event and everyone was required to pitch in 30$ towards supplies for it, and the way that the money is gathered is through a mobile application where people can pay with their credit cards. I asked one of my fraternity brothers is I could just pay him cash and he
While reading Pledged: The Secret Life of Sororities, I learned more about the inner workings of Greek Life. I learned that the odds of me finding a sorority are so slim due to my independent and different personality. While I am not good at sticking up for myself, something this book has made me feel is crucial to blend in and conform to an ideal to fit into a sorority, I am too opinionated. There are not many sororities (at least shown in Pledged) that welcome girls who are different, preferring to stay similar. For example, each pledge class would soon like identical within a few months of pledging. Another thing I learned about is the careful planning and manipulation that occurs throughout sororities,
I am seeking membership in Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated to be a part of a sisterhood that leads and serves. I would love to join a sisterhood that serves the community, promotes academic achievement and builds self-esteem in students of all walks of life from primary to adulthood. In addition, I wish to expand my public service through educational development. As an educator, serving children and families through toy drives and youth mentorships would afford me countless opportunities to give back beyond the walls of my classroom, dance stage, and church. With my dedication, compassion, and creativity, I know I will work diligently to produce a strong impact on the sorority’s current programs and aid to create new
Do people really understand the secrets behind the Greek community? There are many pressures girls face that the public is not familiar with that are specifically evident in sororities. Alexandra Robbins, the author of the book Pledged: The Secret Lives of Sororities, went undercover and followed four different girls during their experiences within the Greek system. Although there are many struggles girls can face in sororities, the five most prevalent type of pressures include: having a perfect body image, substance abuse, stress, silence, and hazing.
The discourse community I have been studying is fraternities. Fraternities are more than just partying and “hangin’ with the bros.” Fraternities are over 100 years old and filled with traditions, values, and brotherhood. Fraternities have stood strong since the early 1800’s, with rich history and culture. Every fraternity has founding fathers that represent a certain value of the fraternity.
Greek organizations, such as, fraternities and sororities have been a part of the college experience for centuries. We pride ourselves in brotherly and sisterly love, academic success, and helping others. There are countless stereotypes and myths that surround the “Greek life” name. Just some myths include: all Greeks haze their members, they only care about physical looks not personalities, and they go to college just to party and get drunk. Kappa Delta Sorority upholds none of these stereotypes. We have a strong no haze policy. Hazing is defined as an activity or situation that can cause emotional, mental, or physical discomfort. If a member is caught hazing or if a new member is caught allowing herself to be hazed, there will be major consequences, such as, national probation or deferral of initiation. Kappa Delta also does not look at physical appearance as the only quality for possible new members. We look at personality and qualifications that can benefit our sorority; instead of having a group of women that are pretty and popular, we like to have women with strong morals, work ethic, and have the willingness to love each and every member of Kappa Delta. Kappa Delta Sorority is like no other fraternity or sorority on campus; we do not waste our time with partying and drinking. We pride ourselves in our historical background, philanthropies, and our values. I know Kappa Delta is the best sorority not only on MTSU campus but in the whole country.
Women of Delta, especially the ladies of the Alpha Tau Chapter, excel excessively in everything they accomplish and partake in from what I have seen on Southern Universities campus and in the community. Their outstanding work ethics, academics success, social friendliness, dominating attitudes, and constant need to help others is just a few explanations why I would be honored to be a lovely member of ...
"Some have argued that fraternities are places where rape is likely to occur on college campuses and that the students most likely to accept rape mouths and be more sexually aggressive are more likely to live in fraternities and sororities, consume higher doses of alcohol and drugs, and place higher value on social life at college." according to the article "Fraternities and Collegiate Rape Culture: Why Are Some Fraternities More Dangerous places for Women?" written by A. Ayres Boswell and Joan Z. Spade. The article ...
I came to college with a negative look on sororities. All my knowledge of greek life came from the media. Sororities are portrayed in a dismissive
The co-culture I chose to research is the sorority Delta Zeta. The symbol of delta zeta is a triangle and a Z, as seen in the picture below. Another symbol of Delta Zeta is the turtle. The turtle is the sororities mascot because their relationship with The Painted Turtle shows how committed they are and how much philanthropy means to them.Sororities and greek life in general have a lot of slang. Members of a sorority are called “sisters”, and new members are known as pledges until the initiation ceremony. This is different from the american culture as a whole because we don’t call every new person pledge and we don’t all think of each other as brothers and sister. Delta Zeta values friendship and family the most, they believe that sisterhood is the
The mission of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Incorporated is to cultivate and encourage high scholastic and ethical standards, promote unity and genuine friendships among college women, aid in issues concerning girls and women in order to come up with solutions to eliminate or ease the circumstances they may face, maintain an ongoing interest in college life, while also being of service to all mankind. This sorority has not only empowered women to help others, but it
As the end of spring semester of my freshman year approached, I was overcome with both joy and relief knowing that soon I would be done with finals and, more importantly, I would soon be completing my slightly long and extremely dry initiation process and finally be allowed to called myself a sister of Sigma Delta Tau. Even though I was beyond excited to become a sister, I couldn’t help but feel weird about the entire situation. Up until the day I decided to rush, I never in a million years would’ve thought that I, of all people, would join a sorority. Even though I had come to terms with the fact that I was in fact meant to be a sorority girl, I was still unsure of how to tell my friends and family back home that I was a sister. In high school, I’d always
Day in and day out we hear about high school and college students wanting to pursue a sorority and/or a fraternity based on the stereotypes these organizations uphold, well I chose to differ. I told myself if I ever decided to become a member of a sorority it would be based solely on their ethical standards, history, and values they are founded upon. Alpha Kappa Alpha, Incorporated consists of ladies of distinction and exemplary character who excel in scholarship, leadership, and service, which are qualities I have chosen to uphold. From my perspective, I encourage myself to maintain a respectable appearance and reputation which doing so inspires me to embrace my self-concept; which helps me confidently excel academically and professionally as a “lady of distinction” and “exemplary character.” Most importantly, I continuously remain involved in community service, being involved allows me the opportunity to learn and understand the lives and circumstances of others by opening my mind, heart, and soul. Overall these qualities strengthen my passion to be a member of the prestigious Alp...
When a person here’s the word fraternity one thinks of a group of college males who love to party, have fun, and may or may not go to class. A person can generally assume that in order to gain access into the group you must go through a hazing ritual, which involves drinking and accepting challenges presented to you by the members of the fraternity. Now one might ask what does this have to do with Anglo-Saxon Europe? The answer is quite simple in that during Anglo-Saxon times people did not use the word fraternity instead they used the word comitatus. Comitatus is a group of warriors who would band together and swear allegiance to a king in exchange for food, mead, and heriot. A modern day fraternity provides its members with parties, beer,