Perspectives Influenced By Different Cultures

Different Perspectives Influenced by Different Cultures of Parents

When considering the great number of 7.5 billion people in the world, it is not surprising that there are numerous kinds of cultures as well. Unique and traditional cultures exist in each country and even in each individual. Cultural identity refers to how strongly one feels about their belonging to an ethnic group, religion, or social group. In addition, they’re usually involved in groups that their parents are in, or they recommend them to be in when they’re young to form their own cultural identity. Therefore, their parents affect them in establishing their perspective. However, conflicts can arise when they do not share the same feelings about their surroundings as their
For instance, Robert Lake mentions his son, Wind-Wolf not wanting to belong to his Indian culture anymore as he experiences internal conflict when he is considered distinctly different from other children in his class. This leads to an external conflict between him and his father, For example Lake says, “he refuses to sing his native songs, play with his Indian artifacts, learn his native language, or participate in his sacred native ceremonies. [...] he says no because ‘that's weird’” (Lake 78). Even though they are a family who share the same cultural heritage, Wind-Wolf also has the cultural identity of being an American boy, who doesn’t want to be different from his friends. Similarly, the mother and daughter come to have the conflicts in “Two Kinds” by Amy Tan. The daughter, Jing-mei culturally identifies herself as an American girl who begins to rebel when she fails to satisfy her mother’s expectations by saying, “For unlike my mother, I did not believe I could be anything I wanted to be, I could only me” (Tan 24). She and her mother have grown up in different countries with different environments so what they value is not the same-her mother wants obedience from her daughter while Jing-mei wants freedom. As has been noted, one’s culture can be different from their parents when they identify themselves based on their other surroundings
There are countless varying cultures in the world and each individual establishes their own distinct cultural identity based on their surroundings as well as their own heritage. In addition, one’s culture is influenced by their parents because they help their children shape their cultural identity when they are too young to do so themselves. However, when they encounter new cultures from their surroundings, which are significantly different from their parents’ culture, they begin to experience conflicts and confusion between the two cultures. Nevertheless, all of the conflicts and confusion serve to making their own cultural identity, which informs the way they view others and the world. All in all, no matter what culture one retains, it is not desirable to view another culture with a prejudice. There is no culture that should be considered