Song Without Words Linda Bell Analysis

Linda bell in her article titled ‘Song Without Words’ talked about the differences between the American and Japanese culture regarding family and society. This article helped me look at my culture in a more constructive way, and from an educational perspective. I learned from this article that my culture is the type that also emphasizes community and the idea that a person is always a part of something usually bigger. I am from the Yoruba speaking tribe from Southwestern Nigeria, and we do share some similarities with the Japanese.

Firstly, my culture also frowns at the concept of individualism, a person is often regarded as arrogant when they talk about themselves too much. The child is a part of the family and like every member of the family, the child is expected to conform the norms and standards in the family. The community is allowed to intervene in a family especially regarding the discipline of a child. A popular saying in my culture is “it takes two people to give birth to a child, but it takes a community to raise a child.” My culture also frowns at the use of
While we share the same idea of the man being the head of the family, the woman is often left at home with the sole duty of carrying for the family. Her duties are limited to only domestic activities like cleaning, cooking, and doing laundry and she is usually not involved in the family finances. The wife is a subordinate of the husband, and she is meant to accept the man including his religion, beliefs, and family. In addition, we differ from the Japanese culture because couples don’t live with the husband’s parent. In fact, a one of the sign that a man is ready for marriage is his ability to get his own apartment and able to live independently of his parents; however, the husband’s mother is usually required to come and live with the couple for about three months whenever they give birth to a