The Irish Countryman by Arensberg

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The Irish Countryman by Arensberg The Irish Countryman by Arensberg was a very interesting society in many aspects. Their way of life, their level of trust and respect, and their beliefs and priorities all make up the unique society that they all engage in. The Irish were very in touch with the spirit world both mentally and physically on a day to day basis. They continuously strived to please the fairies because they believed that if they behaved properly and morally correct, they will in turn be rewarded. They believed that everything happened for a reason and that nothing was a coincidence. Whether good or bad, if something happened it was because the spirits intended it to happen that way. They considered the people who are very dedicated and deeply in touch with Catholicism the good people. They were the ones that contribute to the community and treat themselves with respect. The Irish are deeply involved in religion because it gives them a sense of cohesion and a sense of humanity after the abuse the English put them through. At the same time, their dedication towards their religion gives them a sense of control as a whole. Their religion was a basis for their identity. Religion in a society, reflects society, rather than imposes itself on society. Every family committed to the market place in a peripheral way. They were obligated to sell a certain number of animals (usually calves), in order to receive money in exchange. The idea of trust is remarkable among these people. Individuals would buy goods on credit and pay for them whenever they sold some ani... ... middle of paper ... ...re not permitted to show their anger. There was this one instance in the book where Briggs observes several Canadians borrowing a canoe and returning it broken. They showed no attempt to fix it and just walked away as if nothing had happened. Being that Briggs is from the United States, she caught up to the Canadians and brawled them out. Enutiak watched her confront them and saw how she conducted herself. From then on, Briggs's relationship with the family became much more distant. This trait of not showing anger was very unusual, but the Utkus did indeed look down upon anyone who chose to illustrate anger. One of the things about the primitive religion was that the world was one big harmony, and nothing wrong happened unless one misbehaved. In general, the primitive context is far more humane than the modern context.

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