Premium Essay

Portrayals Of The Nacirema

Submitted By
Words 130
Pages 1
At first, I found the portrayal of the Nacirema very unusual and strange, up until I realized that many of the ceremonies and rituals that the Nacirema performed were very similar to daily routines that many Americans do today. For instance, the shrine that Miner mentions resembles a bathroom in today’s society with the charm box being virtually the same as our medicine cabinet. Also, the holy-mouth-men who clean the mouth decay are the same as our dentists. Lastly, the latipso, which is in every town and is where sick patients are treated, seems to me to be very much like a hospital. I think that the way that the author was trying to describe Americans was a little extreme, but it is true that our society fixates on appearance.

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

The Nacirema Culture

...Horace Miner from the University Of Michigan wrote of the Body Rituals among the Nacirema, in which he described the customs of the Nacirema people. The culture of the Nacirema people has been brought to the attention of anthropologist as their rituals and habits concerning the body are uniquely distinct. Their culture is depicted as strange and centered on the human body; appearance and health are prioritized, and modification is widely used. The Nacirema people have a peculiar habits in which their appearance is altered. One of which involves “scraping and lacerating the surface of the face with a sharp instrument”. This ritual consist of an uncanny description of a practice that Americans preform on the daily. Shaving is an act that everyone...

Words: 680 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

Will Do Next Time

...Instructor’s Manual and Test Bank to accompany A First Look at Communication Theory Sixth Edition Em Griffin Wheaton College prepared by Glen McClish San Diego State University and Emily J. Langan Wheaton College Published by McGraw­Hill, an imprint of The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc., 1221 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020. Copyright Ó 2006,  2003, 2000, 1997, 1994, 1991 by The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. The contents, or parts thereof, may be reproduced in print form  solely for classroom use with A First Look At Communication Theory provided such reproductions bear copyright notice, but may not be reproduced in  any other form or for any other purpose without the prior written consent of The McGraw­Hill Companies, Inc., including, but not limited to, in any  network or other electronic storage or transmission, or broadcast for distance learning. PREFACE Rationale We agreed to produce the instructor’s manual for the sixth edition of A First Look at Communication Theory because it’s a first-rate book and because we enjoy talking and writing about pedagogy. Yet when we recall the discussions we’ve had with colleagues about instructor’s manuals over the years, two unnerving comments stick with us: “I don’t find them much help”; and (even worse) “I never look at them.” And, if the truth be told, we were often the people making such points! With these statements in mind, we have done some serious soul-searching about the texts that so many teachers—ourselves...

Words: 159106 - Pages: 637