Anthropology helps historians to make sense of the belief in witchcraft by presenting facts. Such scholars such as Francesco Maria Guazzo, who wrote “Pact with the Devil”, and Evan-Pritchard who wrote “Sorcery and Native Opinion”, each interpret witchcraft differently. Evan-Pritchard uses anthropology, or the study of humans past and present, to examine a group in Africa, the Azande and their understanding of witchcraft. Guazzo defines witchcraft by listing specific steps on how to identify a witch, and explaining them extensively. Is it the facts of misfortune that are in the experience of the Azande people, explained by Evans-Pritchard or the identification of witchcraft described by Guazzo that ultimately lead to the execution of Tempel Anneke?…
During the text ‘Year of Wonders’ knowledge, isolation and ignorance is a major factor, highlighted throughout the understanding of many different characters. Most of these factors are a result of the important and life-taken religion, which cause characters for example, Sam and his deserted and lonely life in the mineshaft where he worked and died, ‘Sam’s world was a dark, damp maze of rakes and scrins thirty feet under the ground… His whole life was confined by these things.’. People are limited to what they want to discover as the plague and their religion prohibit them from being rebellious. ‘Like most in this village, I had no occasion to travel father than the market town seven miles distant.’ Anna Frith notifies the reader how no one…
John Gordon’s response to the plague is both unexpected and extreme, in order to ‘allay God’s wrath’ he stops eating and subjects his body to horrible punishment with ‘plaited leather and nails’. As a strict religious society, the people of Eyam assume that all members of the society will maintain their belief in religion throughout any number of troubles, however when the plague hits, John Gordon, ‘a lettered man’ resorts to ‘grievous self-punishment’ as a coping mechanism. This response was unanticipated by even John’s wife Urith who also is ‘aggrieved’ and ‘clemmed’ in accordance with John’s new belief in flagellation. John Gordon’s response to the plague is proof of how little we truly know about those we live…
In Year of Wonders, Geraldine Brooks focuses on the effects of the plague on the English village of Eyam in 1665. The village is introduced as a spiritual community; there are various religious and moral codes that the people live by. As the plague hits, these strong beliefs are put to the test. Brooks’s narrative asserts the notion that disaster and catastrophe, as widespread in form as the bubonic plague, is capable of destroying both faith and trust between humanity and religion. Some villagers lose hope in what they once had confidence in; the panic and distress during the plague year causes them to behave irrationally. When the most pious character of Eyam, Michael Mompellion, has his passion for God put to the test, he becomes broken and concludes that there is no God. The protagonist, Anna Frith, also loses faith in her religion, however her outcome is much different in comparison. In the midst of chaos, Anna is rational and her sense of purpose in life…
What can we say about them, either as ordinary people or exceptional ones? All of this, in its final analysis, depends very much on their actions and reactions to the events of the plague – what we see them doing in response to the horrors brought to the village by this fierce epidemic, and whether that is something, finally, to be admired. Brooks certainly weaves a moral landscape in and around the little village of Eyam. Some rise to the occasion with goodness, service and compassion, while others become even more self-concerned, more self-seeking and apparently more capable of nasty indifference to the sufferings of others – even to the point of exploitation. All of this provides a strong backdrop to the novel against which, set in high relief, are two distinct camps – those we admire and those we do not. Central to this is the novel’s protagonist – and yes, ‘heroine’ –…
"Segu is a garden where cunning grows. Segu is built on treachery. Speak of Segu outside Segu, but do not speak of Segu in Segu" (Conde 3). These are the symbolic opening words to the novel Segu by Maryse Conde. The kingdom of Segu in the eighteenth and nineteenth century represents the rise and fall of many kingdoms in the pre-colonial Africa. Therefore, Segu indirectly represents the enduring struggles, triumphs, and defeats of people who are of African decent in numerous countries around the world. There are three major historical concepts that are the focus of this book. One is the spread of the Islamic religion. Another is the slave trade, and the last is the new trade in the nineteenth century and the coming of new ideas from Europe (legitimate commerce). However, Segu does not simply explain these circumstances externally, but rather with a re-enactment that tells a story of the state of affairs on a personal level, along with the political one. By doing this, the book actually unfolds many deceitful explanations for the decline of West African countries in the eighteenth and nineteenth century.…
The aspect of fear is at the heart of this novel, as the residents of Eyam will never be permitted to forget. There resided a woman in this town named Anna, and she had to live through this plague as all of her family and the people she loved were killed by this disease. Because of these happenings, the audience would think she would have changed somehow, she grew more logical and without emotion, she “wished to know how things stood in the world”, and she constantly pondered about the plague and wondered if “the Plague was neither of God nor the Devil” or if it was “simply a thing in Nature”. This just…
Throughout society’s development, individuals have grown to make connections based off of past experiences. Connections can have various meanings such as association with development, or a relationship between groups of people. In Azar Nafisi’s writing of, “Selection from Reading Lolita in Tehran,” she describes the creation of her reading group, and how it provides the type of education she desired to provide as an educator but was restricted based on the Iranian regime. Similarly, in Susan Faludi’s “The Naked Citadel,” Faludi examines the unique culture of a nonaffiliated military school, which highlights the clash between The Citadel’s historical cultures and its present conflicts. Lastly, in Sherry Turkle’s, “Selections from Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other” she comments on how children learn to make unrealistic personal connections with technology. Evolution of society and tradition, seen within the readings allows for the changes seen within the environment. The environment in which one lives in either inhibits or creates the ability to experience new connections within society. Through the discussion of reality versus fantasy, the ability to make connections is inevitably controlled by one’s surroundings.…
Does social media cause isolation? Such a simple question to answer, or at least you think at first glance and first thought. Sure there are tons of reasons why people use social media such as: sharing family vacation photos with relatives, constantly wanting approval from others, finding friends and things that help you through everything, or just simply distracting themselves.…
In this ethnographic work of Annette Weiner, we discover the social and economical differences of this distinguished group of people. The trobrianders lived their lives in a much different sense. There life is centered on their Martilineage, and the philosophy of family is greatly sacred. The traditions of the trobrianders was of such high ordinance that even Malinkwoski had stated, there resilience o the trobiranders to cultural change. The social life of the trobrianders underlay on a focus for reputation and disguising. They believed that if they do not disguise there true feelings towards others, sorcery would be the consequence. Sorcery was a common fear that spread across many different taboos, in mourning ceremonies to not show your sadness towards the dead would imply you had part in the death. The belief of the islanders is that birth and death, both signify an interconnected meaning behind life. Through the youth cycle they experiment with their sexuality and their future spouse, and a signifying factor in each member is within the jewelry and necklaces. Different styles and colors would correlate the time of which one is ready for marriage, or at the time of death. As Weiner described the red-chama shell necklaces, indicated a women-entering adolescence. Marriage is among the most important aspects of a clan. This act of mating must occur between two, distinguished clans. When different clans come together and unite, it creates a new relationship between the two and therefore it is of great importance. Among the social and cultural aspects of the trobrianders, was there most essential economical product, Yams. The attention and value of yams are such degree, that it is preferred over money among many islanders. It’s the most symbolical representation of wealth among the trobrianders, and its value is shown in many different ways. The Husband must accommodate all his belongings to purchase yams for his bride and…
An autobiographical story, “The Dark Child” was written by Camara Laye when he was homesick during his student years in Paris. He tells the story of his childhood until when he left for France at the nineteen years old. He describes village life in nostalgia and contrasts between his village when the time he was a little child and the city when he goes to school in the capital of Conakry. In this, the book describes like a picture of his traditional life in Africa. For example, he shows a variety of daily life from watching his father working on metalwork and participating in his circumcision ceremony.…
Witchcraft, for the Azande is 'ubiquitous' (Evans-Pritchard, 18), it is ever present in all aspects of their life, from 'fishing' to their 'technology and language' (Evans-Pritchard, 18). Evans-Pritchard explores the affect witchcraft holds over the sub Saharan tribe of Zande. In the reading he comes up with two purposes that witchcraft hold in society. The first one being the "relation between men and unfortunate events" (Evans-Pritchard, 18) and the second one is the belief that it "regulates human conduct" (Evans-Pritchard, 18). These beliefs may seem irrational at first, but upon further reading we realize that such beliefs prevail among other cultures as well, as this paper will discuss later.…
The role of ignorance in the novel, The Things They Carried, pertains around the idea of life and death and the way the soldiers become affected by certain events. Most notably, Azar is ignorant of his surroundings. He views Vietnam as a game, as he is always messing around and being immature. For example, “Azar shrugged. After a second he reached out and clapped [Tim] on the shoulder, not roughly but not gently either. ‘What’s real?’ he said. ‘Eight months in fantasyland, it tends to blur the line. Honest to god, I sometimes can’t remember what real is’”(O’Brien 204). Mentioned in the chapter, “Ghost Soldiers”, Azar explains to Tim why he justifies the two of them scaring Jorgensen. Through this quote, we are able to see the “positive” ignorance that is displayed.…
Social networking sites such as facebook, MSN etcSocial networking sites have a profound ability to easily exclude people by specifically targeting certain groups within a community or society. People can at times feel left out or easily targeted when others make unnecessary comments and many friendships or relationships can deteriorate as a result of the great influence it has on people’s social lives. People are also losing basic social skills as a result, and are becoming heavily reliant on the simple services provided by the internet to communicate basic messages. People are also lacking sympathy and empathy, slowly becoming more and more self- absorbed. This is also reiterated through the rise of commercial happiness (found through materialistic objects)Cultural alienation Alienation between people of different cultures can lead to terrorism, racial and cultural prejudice and pre-determined assumptions and stereotypes of a particular ethnic group. People can also form groups in a community which, although may bring some together, can alienate people who don’t belong to a particular culture or ethnicity.Alienation between generations Newer generations and older generations differ greatly from one another in many ways including language, values and societal morals. As a result many people may feel alienated when communicating or interacting with other people. Eg: baby boomers vs. generation YAlienation by languageAustralian colloquialism and vernacular can often exclude and alienate people of different ethnic backgrounds. Language used within different suburbs, states and age groups can alienate people. (eg: eshayz, tomozza)Religious alienationAlienation among people of different religious beliefs can lead to terrorism, prejudice, violence and feelings of exclusion. Religious gatherings such as youth groups at institutions like churches can lead to people feeling alienated.…
Marx’s theory of alienation and exploitation in labor is clearly portrayed throughout Charles Chaplin’s film “Modern Times”. The film, which takes place in the era of post industrial revolution, is set in the factory of the “Electro Steel Corporation”. The story portrays the demanding life of a factory worker, played by Charlie Chaplin, who’s job is tightening nuts onto a piece if metal as it moves down the assembly line. There are many factors of Karl Marx’s forms of alienation and exploitation in the workplace shown through the tedious and constant fast-past working style that Chaplin shows in his film. Also the many consequences of the poor working conditions is portrayed throughout the film. The assembly line lifestyle that workers were forced to live leads Chaplin’s character to eventually suffer from a nervous breakdown. Chaplin’s character in Modern Times is an ideal portrayal of Marx’s theory of the division of labor and how it causes workers to be alienated and exploited in the work place.…