The section in the Language of Literature text entitled "from The Exeter Book" includes three poems requiring analysis. Write a specific and thoughtful response to each posting using standard English. Only complete paragraphs will be posted.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Understanding Other Cultures
As an essential question, consider and discuss what qualities are most important to any particular culture and why.
There are qualities that every culture recognises as important, and then there are qualities that only certain cultures see as virtues and as important. An example of conflicting views on virtues between cultures is Buddhism and Catholicism. A Buddhist monk is seen as accomplished when he has achieved a great amount of inner peace and enlightenment, while a Catholic monk is seen as accomplished once he has endured and suffered the most for God. Inner peace and freedom versus lifelong servitude and suffering to God. Both sides are seen as just important to cultures on opposite sides of the world. As to why these virtues are seen as important, this is largely due to one of the factors that has been strong with the human race for approximately the past 8 millenia: religion. These "religion specific" virtues vary greatly as time has progressed. In the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Ur a woman was considered "virtuous" if she was extremely voluptuous, this is because then she would then appear to similar to the idol of the goddess of sex. How virtue has gone from being voluptuous, to being at a peaceful mind, to being able to endure and suffer servitude one could not say, it is only a wonder to use living today where the virtues that we hold dear will go in the next 1000 years.
Dedication, willingness, and courage are the qualities most important to any particular culture. If you are dedicated to your culture you are less likely to stray from the teachings or culture it self. You must also be willing to fulfill your duties with an open heart because then you will not take it as a big sacarfice. You must have courage to stand up for you culture not matter what others are say about it.
There are an abudant of qualities that are important to any particular culture. one major quality is leadership. In order to live a peaceful and healthly life you need someone to bestow wisdom and knowledge upon you. In addition, determination and inelligence is also key. Being determined and intelligent means you are able to make precise, risky and benficial decisions that will effect your culture in either a positive or negative way.
To any particular culture, an important quality to possess is humanity. People should involve themselves in whatever they feel like as long as they know to be humane and not degrading either to themselves or to others. No culture should prompt its believers to cause serious harm to or kill other humans at all, or animals to a certain extent. It is important to preserve the advances of civilization so that man can continue to grow and accept new cultures and peace among those who are different from himself.
To nearly every culture, strength is an important quality. Both strength of mind, to deal with hardships and anguish that befall the people of your culture, and strength of body to defend the people from physical attack. Strength has often been tested in certain tribes "Coming of Age" tests, where the strength, either mental or physical, has been put to the test. In one such tribe, a glove of Bullet Ants must be worn for 10 hours, which requires much mental fortitude. If strength were not a determining factor, these tests would have no place in the tribe.
In any culture loyality is the most important quality. Because it shows that one would do anything to protect and defend it. Like in the early development of our nation becoming independent; there was a the Patriots, loyaly to America, and the Loyalist, loyal to the British. Whether you were loyal to America or Britian, one fought for one's country.
There are qualities that every culture recognises as important, and then there are qualities that only certain cultures see as virtues and as important. An example of conflicting views on virtues between cultures is Buddhism and Catholicism. A Buddhist monk is seen as accomplished when he has achieved a great amount of inner peace and enlightenment, while a Catholic monk is seen as accomplished once he has endured and suffered the most for God. Inner peace and freedom versus lifelong servitude and suffering to God. Both sides are seen as just important to cultures on opposite sides of the world. As to why these virtues are seen as important, this is largely due to one of the factors that has been strong with the human race for approximately the past 8 millenia: religion. These "religion specific" virtues vary greatly as time has progressed. In the ancient Mesopotamian civilization of Ur a woman was considered "virtuous" if she was extremely voluptuous, this is because then she would then appear to similar to the idol of the goddess of sex. How virtue has gone from being voluptuous, to being at a peaceful mind, to being able to endure and suffer servitude one could not say, it is only a wonder to use living today where the virtues that we hold dear will go in the next 1000 years.
ReplyDeleteDedication, willingness, and courage are the qualities most important to any particular culture. If you are dedicated to your culture you are less likely to stray from the teachings or culture it self. You must also be willing to fulfill your duties with an open heart because then you will not take it as a big sacarfice. You must have courage to stand up for you culture not matter what others are say about it.
ReplyDeleteThere are an abudant of qualities that are important to any particular culture. one major quality is leadership. In order to live a peaceful and healthly life you need someone to bestow wisdom and knowledge upon you. In addition, determination and inelligence is also key. Being determined and intelligent means you are able to make precise, risky and benficial decisions that will effect your culture in either a positive or negative way.
ReplyDeleteTo any particular culture, an important quality to possess is humanity. People should involve themselves in whatever they feel like as long as they know to be humane and not degrading either to themselves or to others. No culture should prompt its believers to cause serious harm to or kill other humans at all, or animals to a certain extent. It is important to preserve the advances of civilization so that man can continue to grow and accept new cultures and peace among those who are different from himself.
ReplyDeleteTo nearly every culture, strength is an important quality. Both strength of mind, to deal with hardships and anguish that befall the people of your culture, and strength of body to defend the people from physical attack. Strength has often been tested in certain tribes "Coming of Age" tests, where the strength, either mental or physical, has been put to the test. In one such tribe, a glove of Bullet Ants must be worn for 10 hours, which requires much mental fortitude. If strength were not a determining factor, these tests would have no place in the tribe.
ReplyDeleteIn any culture loyality is the most important quality. Because it shows that one would do anything to protect and defend it. Like in the early development of our nation becoming independent; there was a the Patriots, loyaly to America, and the Loyalist, loyal to the British. Whether you were loyal to America or Britian, one fought for one's country.
ReplyDelete