The Inside Perspective Of An Outsider - 1886 Words

The Inside Perspective Of An Outsider I read everything I could find. I spoke with natives who were visiting the United States. I studied the language diligently. I scrutinized pictures, noting each detail. Nothing prepared me for that first long walk along a Beijing street. I smelled for the first time, the smells that were to become a familiar component of my three-month stay in The Peoples Republic of China. I made eye contact with people who had formerly just been captured still-lifes on a reference books glossy page. I attempted to speak my broken Chinese with people who did not care that my book at home had taught me the words for ambassador and diplomat. I took my first tentative step towards cultural understanding. The†¦show more content†¦The popular modern idea of culture was an abstract system - an evolving thing in and of itself. With the advent of postmodernity, anthropologists are forced to admit no absolute cultural reality. Culture, consequently, is composed of constructed narratives and symbolic dialogue (Bodley, 1997, p.10). The excitement of this postmodern twist lies in the resulting malleability and dynamic fluid energy of culture. Both Spradley (1979) and Bodley (1997) note three explicit components of this ever-changing culture: the words or thoughts of people, the actions of people, and the artifacts used or material products produced by the people (p.8, p.10). Doing ethnography, again, means describing a culture. The ethnographer seeks to understand another way of life from the native point of view. Spradley (1979) rightfully places emphasis on learning from people rather than studying about people (p.3). A successful ethnographer not only collects data about a certain people, but seeks first and foremost to be taught by the people. Spradley and McCurdy (1972) note that ethnography seeks to describe a culture using those criteria that his informants employ as they observe, interpret, and describe their own experiences during the course of life (p.18). The core of ethnography then, is to understand the meaning of actions and events the way the natives understand their meaning. Spradley (1979) eloquently outlines theShow MoreRelatedAn Endless Fight By Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.1067 Words   |  5 Pagesfew quotes that shape the letter in my perspective, they form the relation between the author and the reader in order to bring about change. A nation of outsiders, America has been created by immigrants who have migrated from other countries since 1492, when Christopher Columbus â€Å" discovered† America. The following quote appeals to the African American society when Dr. King states, â€Å" Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider anywhere in this country† (3). In thisRead MoreOutsiders - Character Analysis846 Words   |  4 PagesCharacter Analysis Ponyboy Curtis Ponyboy Curtis is a 14-year-old boy whose world has been turned upside down. His parents were killed in an automobile accident just eight months before The Outsiders story takes place. He lives with his oldest brother, Darry, who is 20 years old and has legal custody of him and his other brother, Sodapop, who is 16. Darry characterizes Ponyboy as lacking common sense. Pony agrees with this assessment. He readily admits that he is smart at school, but sometimesRead MoreCultural Culture Courtship And Marriage1268 Words   |  6 Pagescultures from an emic perspective, and there is a tendency to favor your culture, viewing it as superior. It is helpful to change your perspective, assuming an outside view towards your culture and taking an inside look at another. Over the course of this paper, I will explain my American Culture courtship and marriage traditions through the etic eye to show the perspective to an outsider, and I will examine an aspect of the Sub-Saharan African polygyny marriage from an emic perspective to become familiarRead MoreHow Does Lovallo And Kahneman s Inside View?1650 Words   |  7 PagesQuestion 1) How does Lovallo and Kahneman’s â€Å"inside view† (â€Å"Delusions of Success†) differ from the â€Å"outside view†? Contrast the entrepreneur and venture capitalist. How can a firm or organization maximize the extent to which its managers take the outside view in their decisions? Individuals and organizations are often influenced by the â€Å"inside view† when making decisions. Excessive optimism leads decision makers to budget, plan for, and forecast outcomes of important projects based on their specificRead More Ethnography Essay1090 Words   |  5 Pagesan outside or foreign perspective of a culture, like reading a text, and reflexivity introduces a new component of inside description. Here, the anthropologist may describe personal interactions and experiences with natives and use this inside information to make additional conclusions about the people being studied. The ethnographer may also reflect on his ethnic connections with his informants, or his acceptance into the society, explaining that it provides valuable, inside knowledge of the cultureRead MoreAnalysis Of The Letter From Birmingham Jail By Martin Luther King Jr.1381 Words   |  6 Pagesletter, â€Å"Letter from Birmingham Jail†, by Martin Luther King Jr., Dr. King present Cou nter argument against the eight fellow clergymen of Birmingham to persuade them to believe his argument is morally right. In response to clergymen’s statement â€Å"outsiders coming in† Dr. King argues them by saying that he has been invited to Birmingham, he is in Birmingham to eradicate injustice amongst African American; King argues against clergymen who examined King’s protest to be â€Å"untimely† by saying that theyRead MoreWhy The Champ Takes All Framework?1732 Words   |  7 Pagesof outsiders. The Appointive School seems to tend to advance two gatherings. Since this framework is a champ takes all framework, many gatherings that could possibly shape an outsider shape a group inside the Republican and Popularity based Gatherings. A case of these groups is the Casual get-together, which is a piece of the Republican Party. With a specific end goal to win in this framework, the Republican and Popularity based Gatherings attempt to speak to an expansi ve rang of perspectives. DueRead MoreAnalysis Of Richard Cory826 Words   |  4 PagesThe point of view for this poem is valuable to the reader because it shows how Richard Corys life is seen from an outsider’s perspective. The speaker is someone of lesser affluence than Richard Cory, and makes this evident when they separate themselves as â€Å"people of the pavement† (line 2). Richard Cory is an outsider, with no personal connection to the speaker of the poem, he is only regarded as someone with wealth, material possessions, good looks, and charm. He is hardly valued as a human beingRead MoreAn Analysis of Edward Hoppers Style of Painting672 Words   |  3 PagesNighthawks, in 1943. Nighthawks depicts an all-night diner in New York City. What makes the painting remarkable is its point of view as an outsider looking in. The viewer peers through the window of the diner, seeing inside three patrons and the man behind the counter, who wears a sailors uniform. The stree ts are deserted due to the dark hour, but the people inside are illuminated by the interior light. Hopper deftly captures the feeling of the fluorescent lighting and its yellowish tint, which is reflectedRead MoreNarrative Essay About The Outsiders1246 Words   |  5 Pageshate but they actually like you and always try to be nice to you? If you have, good for you! If you haven’t, still good for you.Anyways, on to what the book is about. The Outsiders is about a gang called â€Å"The Greasers† that have a rivalry with a gang from the West side called â€Å"The Socs†. The Outsiders is told from the perspective of a 14 year old named Ponyboy Curtis (a member of the greasers). Ponyboy enjoys reading and watching movies alone unlike the other Greasers. So, what exactly happens in