The Depiction Of Western Culture - 1416 Words

Image and Perception According to Said, Orientalism is the imitation or depiction of Eastern cultures in the West. Western civilization has the view that western culture is superior to all. Edward Said explains how the West views the Orient and oriental cultures and literature as irrational, depraved, and often they are misrepresented. These false representations of the East have been a result of one’s point of view – the West’s. Arab women in particular have been subjected to these stereotypes, as they are perceived to be the weaker force. Often in literature authors, particularly western men, are criticized for inaccurately portraying or writing women. The portrayals of Arab women are often characterized as weak, dependent, and submissive. This perception is derive from western culture. However, writers like Inaam Kachachi, Alifa Rifaat, and Nawal El Saadawi display Arab women in their writings like no Arab men can truly describe women’s inner desire. These writers give a ne w positive identity and representation of Arab women, while an author like Alaa Al Aswany portrays women as they are viewed in society – negatively. Despite the stereotypes and differences, Arab women share the same fear all of mankind experiences. The story â€Å"Women in fear† by Inaam Kachachi talks about the many different fears seven sisters are having. It is about seven Iraqi sisters who are fearful due to the oppressive society around them. Atika fears death, Ifaf is frightened of her husband,Show MoreRelatedAmerica Wild West1317 Words   |  6 PagesCivil War, many Americans chose to settle west of the Mississippi river and shaped a distinct culture in this region. Generations later, this fascinating culture was transformed into the Wild West, a romanticized version of the lifestyle, to entertain the masses. The romanticized perception of the Wild West differs extensively from the reality of western settlement, but in some aspects mirrors the true western lifestyle in the post-Civil War period. Native Americans and cowboys, for instance, are portrayedRead MoreIndians in Unexpected Places Essay902 Words   |  4 PagesDeloria, with his analytical survey, Indians in Unexpected Places, recounts the synthesis of western white expectations, and American Indians. The book takes its title from the general thesis, which explores not only the relationship between Indians and their introduction into an alien culture, but also the expectations that we have of Indians and how they â€Å"should† interact with our white western culture. According to Deloria, the common notion is that, â€Å"Indian people, corralled on isolated and impoverishedRead MoreWomen And Gender Roles During The Maghreb Come From Narratives That Depict Cultural Norms1005 Words   |  5 PagesThis gender role forms an identity that most women conform to in order to avoid conflict. Some women break free of these roles and cultural norms but usually encounter struggles. Some narratives that highlight situations like these and demonstrate depictions of women and gender roles are The Arabian Nights and In the Country of Men. Th ese narratives expose the reality of gender roles through identity and Orientalism to highlight the cause for submissive females in the Maghreb. These gender roles createRead More Children’s Literature through an Americanized Scope1232 Words   |  5 PagesSusan Louise Stewart addresses non-western depictions by westerners in Gloria Whelan’s Homeless Bird and Deborah Ellis’s Parvana’s Journey in her article â€Å"Beyond Borders: Reading ‘Other’ Places in Children’s Literature.† Stewart claims that multicultural texts are significant, and that diverse perspectives in conjunction with western existence and beliefs are poignant to a young student’s education. But multicultural literature is dismal, in regards to works about other places and experiences byRead MoreThe Invention Of The Modern World820 Words   |  4 Pagesinstrumentation has almost subsumed the individual scientist within historical narrative. It is impossib le to imagine classic depictions of the great myth of Galileo without the obligatory appearance of at least one of his telescopes3, or a sketch of Newton without his refracting prism. Celebration of material apparatus has been an enduring theme, particularly in more poplar depictions of the â€Å"process† of scientific progress. Today, the seemingly incomprehensibly complex microscope or (now orbital) telescopeRead MorePostcolonial Literature (Persepolis Things Fall Apart)1504 Words   |  7 Pages‘Persepolis’ by Marjane Satrapi follow a postcolonial critical approach. Both books take place in a country considered politically inferior through western perspective and both texts, even though reinforce colonialists’ oppressive ideology, don’t stand completely against the colonialists and fault their own culture. They present the themes of dislocation on how western influences changes, religious, social and economical aspects in the Igbo and the Ira nian society. ‘Things fall Apart’ presents an AfricanRead MoreThe By Roger Bonair Agard And Gloria Anzaldua Essay1608 Words   |  7 Pagesalphabeti method† and â€Å"El sonavabitche†, respectively. Though the two poets wrote on vastly different subjects, both authors employed literature as a medium for their call for activism in society and expressed discontent with the dominance of western culture over minority groups. Through their utilization of formal elements including imagery, diction, and narrator, both poets call for action to change the mindset that the imposition that American society holds over other groups of people. DespiteRead MoreAnalysis of the ending of Things fall apart, by Chinua Achebe843 Words   |  4 Pagespassage serves as closure for the novel, as the traditions of the past die along with Okonkwo. Achebe uses this specific scene in the novel to express both his views on the inevitable death of Igbo culture in the lower Niger (specifically Umuofia), as well as his perception of the portrayal of its people in western literature. In addition, Achebe continues to use this scene to drive the idea of cultural difference between both the inhabitants of Umuofia, and the missionaries that inhabited the land. TheRead MoreA Marvelous Journey of Return in The Kingdom of This World by Alejo Carpentier 1224 Words   |  5 Pageswhich I think several are very noteworthy. First is Carpentier’s reflection of his own identity search in the novel, second is his application of magic realism in the writing that shows the juxtaposition between fiction and history and lastly, his depiction of a repeating cycle of the Haitian history in those stories, all of which contributes to the explosion and expansion of Latin American literature that follows Carpentier’s initiation in the field. As a Cuban writer, Carpentier has an in-depth understandingRead MoreThe Morality Of Slave Labor Versus Free Market Capitalism1095 Words   |  5 Pagesmeant all slaves would be treated well and fed by their masters, at least on average. This also seemed to be true until the years coming up to the Civil War. American slaves were treated fairly well, although that isn’t saying much. The depiction of â€Å"Lowell Offering† shows a Lowell mill girl seeming well dressed and fairly content with life. These girls were part of the free market system, far different from the system of labor in the South. They engaged in competition for wages and for work