Preserving Cultures in American Society
Michael Davis
English 111-60H
Heather Mathers
December 4, 2016
Cover Letter
Michael Davis
English 111-60H
Heather Mathers
December 4, 2016
Professor Heather Mathers, My primary motivation for writing this argumentative essay was to show that there are many cultures that struggle with preserving their customs and beliefs within the American society. It is easy for cultures to lose their beliefs as they integrate into the American society. With America being the strong nation that it is, it is easy for cultures to be influenced by the American culture. It is important for cultures to be able to preserve their customs and beliefs. Customs and beliefs are symbolic of our heritage. Our
…show more content…
America does not have one culture. America is multicultural because of the diverse society. There is no official language of the United States; however most living in the United Sates can speak some English (Zimmerman, 2015). American culture influences all regions of the world. Traditional cultures are patterns of wisdom from our ancestors. Traditional cultures lived in close contact with their environment and respected nature (McKay, 2013). A culture that respects nature along with its environment has a greater chance of surviving independently (McKay, 2013). Traditional culture is what Native Americans and Hawaiians lived by. Storytelling was a way that both Native American and Hawaiians gave vivid narratives of man’s interaction with nature and wildlife. Dance was a way to be spiritually connected to the earth. Modern culture on the other hand advances on change and is also built upon knowledge. Modern culture has a tendency to take over traditional cultures. Modern cultures are more powerful because of the wisdom of technology. Americans live in a modern day culture. There are some holidays that could be considered an American custom because they are only celebrated in America. July 4, Labor Day, President’s Day, and Thanksgiving are some of the holiday’s that are only celebrated in America (Knick, …show more content…
Living in the traditional culture gave people a feeling of being connected to an extended family. With no culture, traditions, and ancestor memories, it’s like not having an education. It is a struggle to preserve customs and believes because today’s modern culture appears to dominate the old traditional culture. With books, IPads, and computers at our hands, it is easy to isolate ourselves and read instead of listening to a vivid narrative story that has been passed down through generations. As modern American technology advances, it would be easy to lose the custom and tradition of storytelling. This is why we need to preserve the custom and belief of storytelling. Vivid narratives are stories that have been passed down for generations from our ancestors and these stories are part of our
I believe having American culture means that you embrace freedom, celebrate the national holidays, vote, and many other things. Since I do live in the United States of America I believe that American Culture tends to valued more than all the other subcultures within the nation. This can be seen if you look into the media. It’s not uncommon that media outlets will portray certain sub cultures as not wanting to assimilate or that they are somehow causing trouble somehow. You can also see that people who come from cultures that aren’t American tend to have harder times finding jobs. I would have to say that my culture gives me many rights and
Stories are a means of passing on information, acting as a medium to transport cultural heritage and customs forward into the future. In his essay titled "You'll Never Believe What Happened," King says that, "The truth about stories is that that's all we are” (King Essay 2). Contained within this statement is a powerful truth: without stories, a society transcending the limitations of time could not exist. Cultures might appear, but they would inevitably die away without a means of preservation. Subsequent generations would be tasked with creating language, customs, and moral laws, all from scratch. In a way, stories form the core of society's existence.
In every Culture around the theres rituals, traditions, and customs that the people practice and continue to show to the younger generations. For example, in the hispanic Culture
The way of behaving or thinking, beliefs, custom, or arts in a particular society is known as culture. There are many different cultures in todays society, however some parts are alike while other parts are more diverse. American culture versus Hispanic culture has some similarities and differences. Whether its food, religion, language, politics, marriages, sports, family, hobbies, or technology; Americans share some of the same things as Hispanics.
American culture is in my opinion a mixture of all cultures in the world. In some states, minorities have become majorities because of the huge masses that have immigrated there. Those groups have integrated their own customs to Americans and at the same time, have made American customs part of their lives. In that enormous alloy called Americans, you can meet diverse kinds of persons, languages, foods and words. At the same time, specific traits make this culture as any other unique. The British writer Lesley Hazleton describes in the essay The First Game her experience when she attended a baseball game for the first time in her life. It was her first time visiting America as well and the way the scene is described shows in some way her perception of what Americans are. Among their several qualities, she distinguished the idolization of achievers and their lives based on a theocentric society.
The significance of oral tradition is stories that are told in which people formulate, pick up, and carry along as part of their cultural freight and these stories are told by people through folklore which is a form of oral tradition. Oral tradition helped shape our culture because we continue to do what we have been told orally by our ancestors as they passed it down through the generations. Culture shaped folklore by using
The United States is an immense country, with many residents and citizens descending from immigrants who have influenced many customs, traditions, behaviors and ways of life. Unlike many old world nations, the United States does not have a homogenous population or a traditional homeland. However, American culture can be interpreted as being largely based in Western Europe with influences from the Native Indians, Africans, Asians, and elsewhere.
The ancient ritual of storytelling is a form of communication that dates back as far as civilization and human language can go. Timeless works of literature such as Beowulf and The Iliad were originally told orally and passed down for generations. Storytelling has played an important role in the development of society due to the emphasis on language, the preservation of history, and the acknowledgment of morals.
Storytelling is as much part of the tradition of the Native community as it is their identity. Storytellers and their prophecies are used to navigate the modern world by aiding in the constant obstacles that continue to make Native people question themselves and their belief systems. The best way to explain this concept is by starting at the end.
Throughout my life, I've heard many different stories about my family. Because of these stories, I know about my background, and they have helped form my identity. Randall Bass, professor of English at Georgetown University, agrees that stories help shape people's identities. Bass states that, "Individuals derive their sense of identity from their culture, and cultures are systems of belief that determine how people live their lives" (Bass 1). Cultural stories about family history, religion, nationality, and heritage help influence people's behavior and beliefs. Identities of different people come from their cultures. Story telling begins at home. Stories help connect people to their systems of beliefs. They sculpt people's lives by giving them a model of how to live. People receive their earliest knowledge from different stories.(Bass)
Within the United States there is a huge diversity of cultures. Culture is many different things, it is a tradition, it is the values and beliefs passed down from generation to generation, and culture is the identity of any country. Culture helps to identify one cultural group from the other. Although we may live in the same country,city, or state we still differ from one another by the way we dress, our beliefs, language, traditions, music, art, food, religion, and politics.
...who you ask. It can mean many different things to many different people. I don't think that there is one right answer to the question: What is American culture? One thing for sure is that in order to truly be a part of a culture, you must be able to communicate with those around you. Therefore, I think it is essential that foreigners learn and speak English while preserving their heritage in America. The English language is a very powerful and useful tool. To those who enter this country, it can mean the difference between taken seriously or being taken for granted.
In America, there are many ethnic groups with many varieties of language. The U.S. was created through many people from different countries migrating to the new states. In the U.S. there is an “official speech” which is in the English language. The language of both these countries is not only different in meaning and sound, but also reflects the way in which the people in these societies live, believe, and function. Religion usually plays a big part in the cultures of the world and is the basis for their beliefs and values.
According to Cambridge Dictionary, the definition of “culture” is “the way of life, especially the general customs and beliefs, of a particular group of people at a particular time”. On the other hand, accroding to Raymond Williams, it is more complicated. However, ther is something that is certain: Culture is ordinary, which happens to be the title of an article he wrote to define and explain what culture is.
When you where a kid did your parents ever tell you stories about your culture or about your family’s values? Chances are they where telling you a folk tale. Folk tales are stories passed down usually by word of mouth but often they are written down. Folk tales teach a valuable life lesson while entertaining the reader or in some cases the listener. This essay will give examples of three folk tales and go into depth on how they teach lessons and still remain entertaining for children and even adults.