Free Essay

White Teeth

In: English and Literature

Submitted By Mirajjallie
Words 1166
Pages 5
Culture and Power Culture and power intersect throughout the world to create connections and separations between people of different cultures. White Teeth is a novel written by Zadie Smith that tells a story about how culture and power coexist. Smith closely examines how culture and power play a part of everyday life. White Teeth takes place in London, UK, and it focuses on the lives of many individuals with different backgrounds and cultures. In the London from White Teeth there is a strong relationship between culture and power and it shows how they intersect. In the London portrayed in White Teeth power can dominate cultures, and dominant cultures can oppress and make other smaller cultures feel unwelcome. Culture and power can be conflicting towards one another. Throughout this novel we can see how power clearly dominates over culture. Cultures can be often disregarded if it is a minority from where they are located. This novel illustrates how power often defeats culture. One way to show the superiority of power over culture is how culture plays a role in one’s community. Samad, a character from the book, is a Muslim from Bangladesh; he has been living in London since the end of World War 2. Samad has two twin boys, Magid and Millat, and they attend school in London. While they were in school they were supposed to participate in The Harvest Festival. Samad was unhappy about this because he wanted his children to be able to participate in other Bangladesh cultures and holidays that pertained to his religion. Samad brought up his unhappiness at a parent meeting at the school that the lack of different cultures was unfair and he said, “The Christian calendar has thirty-seven religious events. Thirty seven. The Muslim calendar has nine. Only nine. And they are squeezed out by this incredible rash of Christian Festivals. Now my notion is simple. If we remove all the pagan festivals from the Christian calendar, there would be an average of… twenty days fredd up in which the children could celebrate Lailat-Al-Qadr in December, Eid-ul-Fitr in January, and Eid-ul-Adha in April, for example. And the first festival that must go, in my opinion, is this Harvest Festival business.” (White Teeth 109) Further along in the meeting they eventually cast a vote that decides if they will include Islamic holidays in the school calendar. A landslide outvoted Samad, 36-7, so the Islamic holidays were not included in the school calendar. From this we can observe how the culture of Muslims and their holidays can be ruled out by the fact that the community has more power. This happens because the people that are in power choose what they want to do and they do not care about the smaller minorities and they do not care to include them. Power can often overpower culture and it helps to make minority cultures less and less in everyday life. Power alone can rule out minority cultures, although the power of certain dominant cultures can also oppress other cultures. In a place where there is a large majority of a specific culture and other smaller minority cultures, they larger one can often overpower the smaller one. We can see this by the way that the London culture looks down upon the culture of Jamaica. From the text we can observe how they are looked down upon from, “When they worshiped they were full of energy, moving like jumping beans, bawling in the aisles… yet when they worked they were sullen and uncooperative… The more Sir Edmund thought about it, the more it became clear that the situation was quite the opposite in England. One was impressed by the Jamaican’s faith but despairing of his work ethic and education. Vice versa, one admired the Englishman’s work ethic and education but despaired of his poorly kept faith. And now, as Sir Edmund turned to go back to his estate, he realized he was in a position to influence the situation—nay, more than that—transform it!” (White Teeth 253) Sir Edmund decided that these two different cultures could influence one another. Although that was not how things worked out. Sir Edmund took some of the Jamaican people over to London to work in a factory out there alongside English managers. He hoped that these two cultures could learn from one another. However they did not, the Jamaican people could not help the Englishman with their faith and the English did not help with the Jamacain’s work ethic and education. The English were too prideful and thought there culture was more powerful and they didn’t really want anything to do with the Jamaican’s. Eventually the Jamaican’s were left hungry, and isolated in a country where they did not truly belong, their culture was too different compared to English culture. The English culture was much larger and stronger there in London and that helped to make to the Jamaican culture get pushed out and forced to change into the ways of the culture in London. The power of some cultures cannot only just oppress, it can also make other cultures feel unwelcome. Magid often felt unwelcome in London and he tried to fit in with his community. Magid has roots that connect him to Bangladesh. He was born in London although he always felt embarrassed by his religion and culture, and he just wanted to fit in with the English culture. In order for Magid to fit in he changed his name to Mark Smith, and he had his fellow students call him by that name. His father, Samad, was very upset that he did not want to be recognized as a Bengali, so he decided that he wanted to send his son back “home” to Bangladesh. There he hoped he would learn more about his culture and he would be proud of it. When Magid was sent to Bangladesh he did not accept his culture, he rebelled against it. He did not become a Muslim, but he chose to be an atheist. Still he denied his culture and background because for far too long he just wanted to fit in with the English culture. He wanted to have more of an English culture because in England, the minority cultures were looked down upon. Culture and power intersect all through the world. In White Teeth we can see how power can overrule culture, and dominant cultures can make other cultures feel oppressed and unwelcome. The power of communities, and government can overpower minority cultures into disregarding their culture and just following the culture the community wants. The community will not let other cultures be practiced throughout the community, so they will always be seen as a small group that nobody understands. Often the more dominant culture can oppress and make other smaller minorities feel like they are not welcome and they need to change their ways. Power and culture can often create conflicts in everyday life.

Similar Documents

Free Essay

The Crisis in Family in White Teeth

...DODI ZUYANDI WANDA RIFANI ASTUTI NASUTION Crisis in Family in White teeth by Zadie Smith Pada novel ini terlihat bagaimana keluarga Samadh didalam kebingungan dan terombang ambing dinegara tempat mereka tinggal. Ketidakjelasan akan root mereka dan tidak bisa menyatu dengan lingkungan tempat mereka tinggal menjadikan mereka terpecah dan hilang arah, terutama kedua anak Samadh Millat Iqbal dan Magid Iqbal. Peran ayah dan ibu yang tidak dijalankan dengan baik oleh Samadh dan Alsana juga menjadi salah satu faktor perpecahan yang terjadi didalam keluarga ini. Dimulai dengan pernikahan Samadh dan Alsana yang hanya menjadi pelariana bagi Alsana untuk keluar dari negaranya yang penuh dengan perbudakan dan kekejaman disetiap sudut wilayah dinegaranya. Pertemuan mereka yang tidak dilandasi dengan perasaan dan pengertian satu sama lain membuat kedua ini menyimpan banyak rahasia satu sama lain. Kebencian Alsana terhadap Samadh tetapi tidak pernah bisa unuk bersuara dikeluarganya dan hanya dianggap komoditi bagi samadh menimbun perasaan benci Alsana terhadap Samadh. “Liberal? Hosh-Kosh nonsense!” No one was more liberal more anyone else anywhere anyway. It was only that here, in Willesden, there was not enough of any one thing to gang up aganst any other thing and send it running to the cellar while windows were smashed” (Chapter 3, page 53) Pada kutipan ini adalah pemikiran dari Alsana yang selama ini hidup didalam cangkang yang terkungkung dengan perasaannya sendiri. Alsana yang...

Words: 628 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Tamson Chemicals

...category is low. The branding activities done by various brands has created awareness for this category. The customers now are choosing a brand that fulfils their dental requirements and liking. The competitors are giving value propositions such as strong teeth, complete germi check, freshness and all round protection, Himalaya could not position itself correctly in the mind of customers. Following are the reasons why: * It did not communicate the differentiating point and benefits of Himalaya dental cream. * The commercial advertisement was not convincing. It could not get the audience to try the product. VALUE POSITION SUGGESTED The brand should communicate the characteristics of its product to educate the audience about its benefits. The value position can be “Dental protection in a herbal way with Himalaya” The advertisements could portray that the Himalaya dental cream cures dental problems of swelling of gums, tooth decay, and bad breath using the ayurvedic ingredients like neem, meswak, pomegranate, etc. PTO Q7   | Brand | Value Proposition | Value Proposition Conveyed | Product Category | HUL | Closeup | Freshness, Confidence | Freshness | Freshness | | Pepsodent | Healthy Teeth and Gums, Prevents Cavities, Fights Germs | Prevents Cavities and Fights Germs | Overall Oral Health | Colgate | Dental Cream | All round Decay Protection | Decay protection, No. 1 brand | Overall Oral Health | | Total 12 | Germ Protection |   | Overall...

Words: 389 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Extra-Oral Observation Paper

...The extra-oral exam includes an observation of Rangi’s demeanor and general state of health. As mentioned before, observation should commence as soon as the patient enters the clinic and this should be continued while taking the history as already discussed above. Careful observation aids identifying risk factors for disease. For example, I will note changes in the skin, lips and general appearance as this will give me clues about nutrition and general health. I will observe if Rangi is breathing through his mouth or nose as a study by Nascimento-Filho, Mayer, Pontes, Pignatari, and Weckx (2004) have shown that mouth breathing may increase the risk for caries not only of the anterior teeth but also of the posterior teeth since desiccation of oral hard and soft tissues increases the numbers of Streptococcus mutans, a known pathogen for dental caries....

Words: 780 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Ip - Introduction

...important nowadays. We need to keep our teeth clean and white. This is not only for hygienic purposes, but also for choosing a profession in life. In almost every type of work, personal appearance and sanitation is highly observed, especially in jobs that mostly depend on your appearance. Hydrogen peroxide is a chemical compound. It is also the simplest peroxide and in its pure form, it is a colorless liquid, slightly more viscous than water. Hydrogen peroxide is used as an oxidizer, bleaching agent, and disinfectant. It can also be used for mouth care. On the other hand, toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with a toothbrush to clean and maintain the health and whiteness of your teeth. Typical toothpastes are usually made out of 20-42% water, abrasives, fluorides and detergents. This study focuses on which product will be more efficient in terms of teeth whitening. Many people worry about how to keep and maintain their teeth white and clean, also with a limited budget. 1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM 1. Does this project show cohesiveness? 2. Compare and contrast the whitening efficiency of hydrogen peroxide, Colgate toothpaste, and Close-Up toothpaste. 3. Which of the three variants show the most whitening efficiency and costs less? 1.3 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Coming up with this study is quite useful to majority of the people. This study will talk about how efficient the said variants are in terms of teeth whitening, while...

Words: 717 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Aaa Bbb

...ABC Pronunciary American English Pronunciation Dictionary Mary Gretchen Iorio Charles E. Beyer Vocalis Ltd. Copyright © 2001 Vocalis Ltd., Waterbury, Connecticut USA All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or any other form, without prior written permission of the publisher. Published by: Vocalis Ltd., 100 Avalon Circle, Waterbury, CT 06710 USA ISBN# 0-9709948-0-X Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 98-90574 Printed in the U.S.A. Table of Contents Introduction ............................ pages 4-5 Letters of the alphabet ........... pages 6-83 R-controlled vowels ................ pages 84-89 Vowel digraphs ....................... pages 90-93 Consonant digraphs ............... pages 94-103 Consonant blends .................. pages 104-105 Silent letters ........................... pages 106-107 Vowel contrasts ...................... page 108 Consonant contrasts .............. page 109 Practice sentences ................. pages 110-111 Pronunciation key ................... pages 112-113 CLICK HERE Introduction English is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world today, necessary for international business, cultural and travel purposes. The English language has a rich vocabulary and flexible grammar use. However, its pronunciation can be challenging at times because of the many complexities. ABC Pronunciary, an American English...

Words: 8265 - Pages: 34

Free Essay

Vitamin- Fluoride

...Fluoride Fluoride is mineral, traditionally known for its use in keeping our teeth clean, strong and preventing tooth decay. Although Fluoride helps our teeth, it does not help with the growth of our bodies, so is not practically considered a mineral essential for health and well being. It has been around for a long time and it is used in today’s society a lot. Fluoride was discovered by Henri Moissan in 1886, a French chemist that found fluoride in a hydrogen fluorine gas mix. It wasn’t discovered to help with tooth decay until 1936, when they did a study with fluoridated water in cities in Colorado Springs. Our bodies only need a small amount of fluoride in our bodies and 95% of that can be found in our skeletal system. The way fluoride helps our teeth is, by interacting with calcium and phosphate to help mineralize broken down tooth enamel. It has been found that children that consume a sufficient amount of Fluoride when their teeth are starting to develop and come through, have greater protection from tooth decay for the rest of their lives. Fluoride not only helps protect our teeth by prevent decay; it also helps strengthen our bones. Our body absorbs fluoride through the stomach and small intestine, for where it eventually ends up in our bloodstream. Once there it gets into our bones and teeth, and doesn’t build up in our soft tissue. Fluoride deficiency has been proven in communities where fluoridated water has not been introduced yet. It has been proven that...

Words: 1069 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Mild Enamel Fluorosis

...The paper by Aoba and Fejerskov written in 2002 talks about a hypothesized mechanism being a dose-related disruption of the mineralization which causes the teeth to become porous with a decrease in proteins. This degradation of the teeth is thought to be from a breakdown of the matrix proteins and the way the by-products are drawn out from the aging enamel (Aoba and Fejerskov, 2002). There are different forms categorizing the severity of enamel fluorosis. Mild enamel fluorosis is seen as white striations or opaque patches while in moderate or severe cases the opaque spots extend and the porosity increases (NRC Ch.6,1993). If the damage is severe enough there can be many dental health issues, including an increase in caries later in life. These...

Words: 998 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Broadway

...www.reach.ind.in Please circulate to all your friends, colleagues, relatives, associates and just about everyone on your mailing list. Let them gain too! Contents 1. 2. 3. 4. Exercise & Fitness Nutrition & Calorie Management Stress Management Ear Nose Throat Teeth www.reach.ind.in Exercise & Fitness 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Stamina (Cardio) Exercises Strength Exercises Mobility Exercises Back Exercises Yoga Weight Training www.reach.ind.in Stamina (Cardio) Exercises Walking: Excellent cardiovascular benefits for the advanced age groups.. Should be done briskly with swinging of the arms. Comfortable shoes must be worn. May be done morning or evening for 30-60 minutes.. Jogging: Suitable for younger age group below 50 years. 30 minutes is all that is required and may be done continuously, or jog and walk in between when fatigued. The pace of jogging is equal to that of a brisk walkrun on soft or grassy surface. Wear comfortable clothes and breathe freely. www.reach.ind.in Stamina (Cardio) Exercises Swimming: For those who know how to swim, 20 minutes of continuous swimming is sufficient. Alternately swim the length of a pool 10-20 metres, rest at the end for 30 seconds, swim back. 10 such lengths is good. Use any stroke you know. They are all of almost equal cardiovascular and muscular benefit. Cycling: For any age group. Minimum time 45-60 minutes of continuous controlled fast cycling. Cycling up slopes gives added benefit. Ordinary cycles are good enough...

Words: 2218 - Pages: 9

Free Essay

Endodontist

...C L I N I C A L P R A C T I C E The Safety of Home Bleaching Techniques • Laura Tam, DDS, M.Sc. • © J Can Dent Assoc 1999; 65:453-5 PRACTITIONER’S QUESTION: How safe is home tooth bleaching? Home bleaching is a popular dental procedure used to whiten teeth. The first clinical study of nightguard vital tooth bleaching using a carbamide peroxide product was published in 1989.1 Carbamide peroxide is the most commonly used active ingredient in home bleaching systems. It breaks down into hydrogen peroxide and urea in aqueous solution. Although concentrations of 10% carbamide peroxide (equivalent to approximately 3% hydrogen peroxide) are most commonly used, bleaching systems containing up to 22% carbamide peroxide are available for home use. The safety of home bleaching has been questioned. This article looks at the minor or transient adverse effects of home bleaching on oral tissues as well as the potential major long-term or systemic risks of the technique on dental and soft tissues. Minor or Transient Effects Tooth Sensitivity Previously, the most common method for vital tooth bleaching used liquid hydrogen peroxide in combination with heat. This method invariably caused tooth sensitivity both during and after the procedure. Thirty-five per cent hydrogen peroxide preparations with or without the additional use of heat caused histological pulpal changes.2-4 However, the treated pulps generally showed a reversal of these changes and repair...

Words: 2661 - Pages: 11

Premium Essay

Cure Your Tooth

...Valley, Switzerland Modern Swiss were Losing Their Health The Healthy People of the Outer Hebrides Gaelics on Modern Foods are Losing Their Health Genetics and Tooth Decay Aborigines of Australia Nutritive Values of Diets Compared Fat-soluble Vitamins and Activators Mantesh Why Tooth Decay with Modern Civilization? Weston Price's Tooth Decay Curing Protocol Dr. Price's Protocol Summarized Chapter 2 References CHAPTER 3 MAKE YOUR TEETH STRONG WITH FAT-SOLUBLE VITAMINS How Teeth Remineralize 101 Hormones and Tooth Decay Cholesterol The Miracle of Vitamin D Vital Fat-Soluble Vitamin A Cod Liver Oil Heals Cavities Weston Price’s Activator X More Fat-Soluble Vitamin Sources: Bone Marrow, Brain, Kidneys, and Glands Organs from the Water Fat-soluble Vitamin Summary Chapter 3 References CHAPTER 4 REMINERALIZE YOUR TEETH WITH WISE FOOD CHOICES The Town without a Toothache Deceptive Labeling Pasteurization Kills Milk Obtaining Raw Milk Good Soup Heals Your Teeth Blood Sugar Sweeteners Protein for Your Teeth Protein Assimilation...

Words: 66501 - Pages: 267

Free Essay

The Caries Process

...will also take a look at how caries are diagnosed and detected, what a caries risk assessment is, its factors and how it can be utilized on individual patients for caries prevention. Finally, we will discuss how dental caries is treated at all levels of the caries process. Caries, also known as tooth decay or cavities, is a bacterial infection transmitted primarily through saliva, leading to the destruction of enamel, cementum and dentin. Although caries is an infectious disease of the teeth, it is more accurate to say caries is caused by a shift in oral micro-flora to caries-causing types in response to acidity resulting from metabolism of sugars. (Higham, 2010) Three major factors contribute to the caries process: food or beverages that are consumed (sugary in content), the bacteria in plaque, and your teeth. The simplest way to think of it is that each time you eat there is an acid attack on your teeth. That’s because plaque, a sticky film of bacteria, constantly forms on your teeth. When you eat or drink foods containing sugars or starches, the bacteria in plaque uses the sugar & starches as fuel to produce acids that...

Words: 2808 - Pages: 12

Free Essay

Dental Xrays

...detect many abnormalities from bone loss to tumors by using the ability to view medical issues prior to physical or visual signs are present (ADA 2014). Today, x-rays have become state of the art; occlusal radiographs, panoramic and intraoral views, or even the newer digital x-rays have become valuable tools in the care and treatment of dental health. Dental X-Rays More Than Just a Picture Diagnostic radiographs or dental x-rays, are a type of image of the teeth and mouth that are used to diagnose or treat patients by recording images of the internal structures in order to assess whether or not there is disease, foreign objects, or structural damage. X-rays are a form of high energy, electromagnetic, radiation that can penetrate the body to form an image on film. Structures that are dense, such as silver fillings or metal restoration, will block most of the light energy from the electromagnetic radiation. Dense structures will appear white on developed film. Areas containing air will appear black on film while teeth, tissue, and fluid will appear as grey areas. X-ray imaging provides a fast, non-invasive way of answering many clinical questions which may...

Words: 1619 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Dental Emergencies Research Paper

...812-406-0914 as soon as you can. There are a few important things you should do right away depending on your situation — for example, using a cold pack to reduce swelling when you’ve chipped a tooth. Once done, call us so we can help. Here’s how to handle the most common minor and serious dental emergencies. Minor Emergencies Something is caught between your teeth: Hopefully, you are only using your teeth to chew food. Even then, you can get something hard...

Words: 1684 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

Ip - 3rd Year

...Close-Up toothpaste. The variants are tested by the researchers themselves in a span of one week - they observed the amount of time it takes for teeth to whiten, and the budget required for each product. This study specifically seeks to: 1) Compare and contrast the whitening efficiency of Hydrogen Peroxide tooth gel, Colgate and Close-Up. 2) Determine which of the three products is the most efficient in terms of teeth whitening and costs less budget. 3) To know if homemade Hydrogen Peroxide tooth gel is a possible substitute for your usual commercial toothpastes. The study was conducted by the researchers testing the products themselves. They used the products in a span of one week and observed if their teeth whitens. The price of the product and number of days before teeth whitens are closely observed by the researchers. Based on the study, all products managed to whiten teeth, the only difference is that Hydrogen Peroxide took the least amount of time and it's the product that costs least out of the three. It is recommended that future researchers should: 1) find out the other uses of Hydrogen Peroxide. 2) be extra cautious while brushing your teeth with the Hydrogen Peroxide paste; please make sure you don't swallow anything. 3) find out if the Hydrogen Peroxide paste can whiten other materials, not only the teeth. I. INTRODUCTION Hydrogen peroxide and toothpastes are somehow similar because they can both be used for mouth washing and tooth care, but they...

Words: 1787 - Pages: 8

Premium Essay

Soda Vs Vinegar Research Paper

...does to teeth. Soda gives cavities and vinegar gives your teeth erosion, but what happens when our teeth aren't clean every day. Soda and vinegar are both very strong compared to the enamel on are teeth. When drinking vinegar and soda, are teeth will start to erode and get cavities. What does soda and vinegar do to are teeth. Soda is dangerous to teeth because every sip is destroying the enamel on the teeth. The acid from the mouth mixes with the soda also and then it will attack the teeth for twenty minutes. Vinegar does the same thing to your teeth when drinking or swallow it with food. Vinegar damages the teeth and breaks down enamel. And the acid from are mouth mixes together, so when it gets on the teeth it breaks and decays your teeth quicker. What happens after soda and vinegar get stuck on are teeth. After soda gets stuck on teeth it will start the effects of erosion and cavities. Erosion of teeth is not good. It starts to break down tooth enamel and then get down to teeth roots if you can't stop it. Vinegar will give you the cavities the most. It has a strong pull to teeth and that's where cavities come in at. Cavities will break down to your root of our teeth and then ends up destroying your teeth....

Words: 533 - Pages: 3