The novel I choose for the cozy winter reading assignment was Infidel written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The novel is about Ayaan’s childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya and her struggles with those three rocky countries. The novel is also about her rise and influence in Dutch politics. The novel's purpose is to share her story and to bring awareness to the rights of Muslim women.
Infidel is rich with information about culture in different countries and can be applied to many things we have talked and discussed about in class. The first concept I will be talking about is how in a culture there are artifacts (technology that allows the culture to live), sociofacts (how people organize their society), and mentifacts (ideas, and beliefs of a
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In Ayaan’s childhood she lives in three countries, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, and Kenya. Each of these countries has a religion that affects its culture in some way. In Saudi Arabia, where the Islam is most common religion, the culture is influenced by both the religion and it’s followers. In order to get a taxi women would need to be accompanied by a male family member, children have to go to Quran School, people were stoned and beheaded, and the calendar was based on the Islamic lunar month cycle. In Ethiopia, a predominantly Christian country, the culture is very different. Women are allowed to wear skirts to their knees or pants, people smoke, women did not have to wear headscarves. Ayyan states that she felt freer in Ethiopia compared to Saudi Arabia. Kenya had both Islamic and Christian followers along with tribal religions and the culture was mixed. There were people who smoked and while at the same time some women wore headscarves. There were both religious and non-secular schools. Kenya was a mixing pot of parts of the Saudi Arabian culture and the Ethiopian culture along with others. There are also geographic aspects to take into consideration. Saudi Arabia has the most modern technology out of the three countries. The roads are paved, and there are apartments along with modern looking buildings but there is garbage everywhere. Ayyan describes Ethiopia as a poor country even more poor then Mogadishu, the capital of …show more content…
It was able to keep me entertained the whole time and I learned many things about life in Africa during the 60’s and 70’s. I also was able to learn about the different culture in multiple countries and how different they are from the west. I believe this book achieved its goals of bringing awareness to the rights of Muslim women. Ayaan was able to do that with the Dutch and with this book she might be able to help those in countries where women are still
I found it very interesting and educational to learn about the history of Uganda, a country often forgotten by the Western World. Before reading this novel I had no idea about the struggle that Indians and Africans underwent during this countdown. As a result of this novel I also learned more about the issues of systematic racism and the various downsides of class systems. Before this novel I had learned about class systems, such as the caste system in India, but by infusing history with the struggles of a young girl really helped me connect with the themes in a stronger way.
Tucker, Judith E., and University Georgetown. Arab Women: Old Boundaries, New Frontiers .Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1993. eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost). Web. 4 Nov. 2013.
A tiny town in Connecticut. Is this setting of Among Friends by Caroline B. Cooney. The time of year is from the beginning of the school year, to the end of the school year.
The values she has are echoed by the political revolution of Turkey from a religious state to a secular state. However, when she visits modern, religious, Turkey her values are not exemplified in the foreign culture. Batuman rejects not only the practices but also the values of Islam, “And, because he said them in the name of Islam, I couldn’t forgive Islam, either” (5). Batuman’s own values of female autonomy and respect clash with those of Islam. She is constantly reminded of these values while in Istanbul, from both the government and her taxi drivers. The religious practices of Turkey clash with the secular practices her parents taught her, so she immediately disagrees with the values of the Turkish people. Batuman’s time in Urfa is full of awkward conversations and stares. When she speaks English other women stare, the fact she is alone in her hotel is crazy to the hotel staff, and ordering food was a chore. One day, Batuman forgets that she is wearing the headscarf as she walks back to her hotel. The change in behavior was instant, women would acknowledge her with a smile, men were far more polite, and in general “people were so much nicer” (7). Batuman experiences the benefits of Islamic values while not actually practicing the culture. She at first considers what the problem would be if she wore it constantly while in Urfa, just to remove the discomfort that she causes by not doing so.
Perhaps the main reason I liked this book was the unfaltering courage of the author in the face of such torture as hurts one even to read, let alone have to experience first-hand. Where men give in, this woman perseveres, and, eventually, emerges a stronger person, if that is even possible. The book’s main appeal is emotional, although sound logical arguments are also used. This book is also interesting as it shows us another face of Nasir – the so-called “champion of Arab nationalism” – who is also the enemy of pan-Islamism. The book is also proof of history repeating itself in modern-day Egypt.
In 1776, David McCullough gives a vivid portrayal of the Continental Army from October 1775 through January 1777, with sharp focus on the leadership of America’s greatest hero, George Washington. McCullough’s thesis is that had not the right man (George Washington) been leading the Continental Army in 1776, the American Revolution would have resulted in a vastly different outcome. He supports his argument with a critical analysis of Washington’s leadership during the period from the Siege of Boston, through the disastrous defense of New York City, the desperate yet, well ordered retreat through New Jersey against overwhelming odds, and concludes with the inspiring victories of Trenton and Princeton. By keeping his army intact and persevering through 1776, Washington demonstrated to the British Army that the Continental Army was not simply a gang of rabble, but a viable fighting force. Additionally, Mr. McCullough supports his premise that the key to the survival of the American Revolution was not in the defense of Boston, New York City, or any other vital terrain, but rather the survival of the Continental Army itself. A masterful piece of history, 1776 is not a dry retelling of the Revolutionary War, but a compelling character study of George Washington, as well as his key lieutenants, and his British adversaries, the most powerful Army in the 18th Century world. When I read this book, I went from a casual understanding of the hero George Washington to a more specific understanding of why Washington was quite literally the exact right man at the exact right place and time to enable the birth of the United States.
On another note, we have a young lady who moved from Colorado to Cairo. In “The Comfort of Strangers” by G. Willow Wilson, this young lady has “converted to Islam” and wanted to spend time getting to know the language and culture that was associated with her religion. In her case she moved from the U.S. to a country that had many rules and regulations when it came to the religion and culture. For example, when she moved to Cairo she had to adjust to the fact that men and women were traditionally segregated in a lot of public and private settings. She found it very difficult when traveling because on the trains in Cairo the women was separated from the men. If you happened to board the train in the men’s cart and you were a women, then you would
...k that the novel, Children of the New World is very interesting and even though it is fictional, it gives a lot of insight into the Algerian war and even more into the Muslim lifestyle. After learning about the Islamic faith all semester, it is nice to actually see the information learned put together in a different setting. The author does a good job at creating characters that are not real but portray issues that are relevant to the Muslim community. The author also has times where the wording is so descriptive and impacting that I had trouble not making my entire summary of just quotes from the book! Overall, I feel like this is a great book to end the semester with because even though it is a lighter read, it still is very informative.
Although “Araby” is a fairly short story, author James Joyce does a remarkable job of discussing some very deep issues within it. On the surface it appears to be a story of a boy's trip to the market to get a gift for the girl he has a crush on. Yet deeper down it is about a lonely boy who makes a pilgrimage to an eastern-styled bazaar in hopes that it will somehow alleviate his miserable life. James Joyce’s uses the boy in “Araby” to expose a story of isolation and lack of control. These themes of alienation and control are ultimately linked because it will be seen that the source of the boy's emotional distance is his lack of control over his life.
Culture can be defined as the set of a system of shared beliefs, values, customs, behaviors, and artifacts that members of a society use to cope with their world and one another. Since all wars are fought in and amongst a population, the Army seeks to develop an ability to understand and work with a culture for its Soldiers and leaders (IAW FM-3-24). Culture is the compromise of a particular group of people which defines there language, religion, social structure, art and music people come from many type of backgrounds their heritages represent their values in which are used to make decisions thru out the person life these values were taught and develop from the family after birth and thru adolescent. In this paper I will discuss the Egyptian culture and how it outside factors have contribute to it modern day society.
Culture can be defined as customary beliefs or ways of an origin. Characteristics that can define culture are that culture is learned, shared, based on symbols, integrated and is dynamic (EarthLink). Culture is something that can be passed down from generation to generation, it is not inherited or in our genes. We are taught culture from everyone around us and being taught culture means we will share it as well. Starting from young ages, elders of family and friends share their experiences and knowledge of the culture. Symbols can be different from all other cultures. All symbols have meaning behind them such as their language, artistic pieces and in some cases, currency. Integration of culture is known as holism, or the various parts of culture being interconnected (EarthLink). Every aspect of culture must all be learned to understand the complete meaning within the culture. Not everything within a culture can stay the same, it can adapt to the new times and changes within the society.
Throughout the years, humans have shaped the world and many societies have developed different cultural patterns. Culture is the way of life of a society. Through culture, we learn how to collaborate with groups of people and we learn how to survive and adapt to changes. It is composed of values and beliefs that are shared by other members of society, as well as species survival. Every culture has different cultural elements that are vital to one’s survival in a certain place.
distinguish a culture from another such as the roles of men and women, polytheism and religion.
What is culture? Culture is identity; it’s the indigenous or non-indigenous ideology, habits, customs, appearances and beliefs that people are either raised by or adapt to from different nations surrounding. It is a network of knowledge shared by a group of people. Culture consists of configurations, explicit and implicit, of and for behavior obtained and spread by symbols establishing the distinctive achievement of human groups including their embodiments in artifacts; the vital core of culture consists of traditional ideas and especially their attached values. Culture systems may, on one hand, be considered as products of action, and on the other, as conditioning influences upon further action.
The word 'culture' is often described in terms of concrete ideas or social artifacts. Gary R. Weaver describes some common conceptions such as "good taste," "art or music," or "something that people in exotic foreign lands had."1 However, culture in the context of international assignments relates to how people perceive the world and the influence this perception has on their actions. It is culture on the interpersonal level. Different cultures can perceive the same thing differently, which leads to miscommunication and misunderstanding when one crosses into another culture not their own.