Frost, M. (n.d.). Culture of the United States. Retrieved November 8, 2012, from Martin Frost: http://www.martinfrost.ws/htmlfiles/american_culture.html…
One of the greatest questions we ask ourselves is “Who am I?” We gain life experiences, entertain ourselves with personality tests, and even inquire psychics about our being. The truth is, our identity is not a static matter. Richard Rodriguez struggles with his cultural identity between California and Mexico. His conflicting feelings are conveyed within the introduction of his written work, Days of Obligation. Through juxtaposition, paradox, and oxymoron, Rodriguez compares the cultures, and eventually comes to the conclusion that both represent him equally.…
Another fact in culture difference is the surrounding of those two places: his home and school. “The scholarship boy must move between environments, his home and the classroom, which are at cultural extremes (Rodriguez)”. Rodriguez has affection and intimacy from the family’s warmth whereas, at school, he has to be active with thought processes and reflectiveness upon the knowledge he received. The two environments made him act differently and he began to see the reasons upon those…
According to Charon, culture is one of the social patterns in society. It arises in social interaction. It is taught in social interaction. Culture is made up of three smaller sets of patterns: (1) rules, (2) beliefs, and (3) values (Charon p. 56). For these two peer croups, the contrast in their lifestyles and culture can be attributed to the influence, involvement, and expectations of their parents. The parents of the Brothers expect that their children will do well in school, they expect them to stay out trouble, and to refrain from the use of drugs and alcohol. Thus, from their families, the Brothers take away a contradictory outlook. On the one hand, they see that hard work on the part of their parents has not gotten them very far, an implicit indictment of the openness of the opportunity structure. On the other hand, they are encouraged by these same people to have high hopes for the future (Macleod p. 167). In contrast, the Hallway Hangers' families do not hold high aspirations, they do not expect that…
One that participates in a culture provides them with a sense of belonging (Chávez, 1983). “With the process of learning is absorbed from a social environment, in the rituals, symbols, and actions that are communicated directly.” The social aspect of the Quinceañera has the purpose to teach and reinforce the important cultural values of the Hispanic culture. In the preparation for a Quinceañera, one is building, maintaining, and activating social networks. These networks are extended family members and people from the outside community. Many extended family members will help out with expenses (Lombardo, 2014). With this teachable moment, one learns how important communication is with one’s family and makes it different from other cultures. The cultural distinctiveness is the difference in the aspects of language, social organization, religion, and values that are a part of the Hispanic culture shown in the preparation, festivities, and purpose of the…
In this paper I will try to highlight the different sources that have contributed to my cultural background. I will start by saying that I was born in Mexico and I was raised in a big family; 5 brothers and 5 sisters. I studied at a catholic school from grade school through middle school and moved to a public school in the United States the first two years of high school. Then I moved back to Mexico to complete high school. I live in Mexico but have been working at U.S. manufacturing companies for 20 years.…
Prepare a 1,050- to 1,400-word paper in which you compare and contrast your selected traditional and nontraditional cultures. Use the Electronic Reserve Readings (ERR) for this course, the University Library, or other resources to locate at least 4 articlesconcerning these issues. Please use research articles with authors and websites that meet the UOP criteria for websites (official versus non-official – if you have doubts, please ask).…
For this assignment I interviewed Omar Bretado. He is a 25-year-old male who migrated to the United States with his family at the age of twelve. He and his family, like most immigrant families, came to the United States in hopes of a better future. Omar and his family migrated from Zacatecas, Mexico to Dallas, Texas. Omar tells me that he is glad that he was given such a wonderful opportunity when he came here. In Mexico, he lived with his three siblings, parents, grandparents, and a few aunts and uncles. The house was divided into three areas so that everyone could have a bit of privacy. I decided to interview Omar because he was able to shed some light on the differences he experienced between Mexico and the United States. Only having been here half of his life he has accomplished many things. He has finished his education, gotten a well-paid job, and has become a citizen of the United States. Although Omar had fun living in Mexico, he says that he would not change anything in his life. He is grateful for the time he was able to be in his home country and for the cultural that was instilled upon him all of his life.…
Texas in it self is a highly diverse multicultural society. It takes on many aspects of many different cultures. One very noticeable culture that has a great impact on Texas would be that of the Mexican culture. Because Mexican culture is so apparent in Texas, that it is easy to compare and contrast some cultural aspects between Mexican and American cultures. This attempt to compare and contrast these two different yet similar cultures will increase awareness and acceptance of cultural differentiation. In order to examine these two cultures closely, I will use Hofstede's cultural layers and cultural dimensions to categorize their different facets as well as compare and contrast them.…
I chose to explore the daily rituals and routines of my good friend Tarek Ahmed from Yemen. He arrived in the United States in the year 2006 and we’ve been great friends since then. Over the years I’ve realized that he’s carried his culture as well as rituals and routines that he practiced in Yemen to the United States. These daily rituals and routines are of daily importance to Tarek because as a child, he was taught to never forget his culture. “When I came from Yemen, I knew that I could not forget my hometown and that I had to carry my culture with me.” Ever since Tarek came to the United States, he’s had trouble fitting in. His culture was very different to the people around him. They didn’t accept him for who he was and where he came from. Tarek knew that he had to adapt to the cultures of the United States, but not to the extent where he’d forget his original culture. “I knew I had to change who I was around other people so that they would accept me,” said Tarek. Tarek had only changed the way which he acted around the people who did not accept him for who he was. At home, he still practiced the same rituals and routines which he practiced in…
2. Hofstede, Gert Jan, Paul Pedersen, and Geert H. Hofstede. Exploring culture. Yarmouth, Me.: Intercultural Press, 2002…
Culture and ethnicity have become major influences on the interactional styles and structure of families and even workplaces. People from diverse cultures interact with one another as well as share ideas, so attention has to be given to culture. Individuals need to understand their own cultural background, which may act as a basis of understanding others too. Culture can simply be defined as a group that shapes a person’s values and identity. Culture identities stems from the following differences: race, gender, ethnicity, country of origin, religion, physical ability and geographical region (Blum, 1999).…
No matter how hard we try, or how much we study, it is pretty much impossible to become an expert on all the world’s cultures. It is possible however, to be enlightened on a few cultures through some effort and understanding. That is just what we did, through interviewing three people who were raised in cultures different from ours. The following are results from what we learned about different cultural dimensions.…
Culture is not just one or two elements of a person’s life; culture is defined as a person’s way of life. It includes everything from their language and customs to their social organization and government and even their arts and literature. Cultural diffusion can change how one culture thinks, even if it is not very noticeable right away. For example, if an immigrant family moves to a neighborhood from another part of the world, they will bring their nation’s customs with them, and continue to practice them. Some people in their neighborhood may find themselves participating in these foreign customs, such as celebrations. Likewise, the immigrant families may find that they do not stick to their cultural traditions as much as they did at home, particularly if there are not that many families with similar cultural components in their neighborhood.…
When people move away from their home country and settle down in another country, it can be challenging to identify oneself with other cultural values. Especially in our postmodern society where everything seems to move faster in different directions and create complementary differences between the cultures. Susmita Bhattacharya expresses some of these perceptions in the short story “Dusk over Atlantic Wharf” written in 2006.…