| Papers [1-14] of 100 :: [Page 1 of 8] | | Go to page : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 —> | Search results on "MYTHS AMERICAN CULTURE": |
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Myths and American Culture, 2007.
An examination of the cultural connections between the "myth of the cowboy" and the "myth of origins" in American cultural history.
1,159 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 3 sources, MLA, £ 27.95
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Abstract
This paper compares and contrasts the "myth of the cowboy" and the "myth of origins" in American cultural history. It specifically focuses on the cultural connection between the two myths. The paper argues that these two mythic narratives may be seen to be fundamentally identical in that their narrative elements and ultimate purpose are to justify the expansion and assertion of Euro-American power in the New World.
From the Paper
"In conclusion, it is clear that the "cowboy myth" is a potent cultural construction that - while distinct from the "myths of origin" in terms of time frame - nonetheless may be seen to be intimately related to these myths in how it justifies the extension of European settlement and authority over North America. The myths together effectively displace the Aboriginal First Nations of the continent from their historical role as the first settlers of these lands, and thus achieves on the level of cultural history what European power achieved on the landscape of the continent itself: the displacement and marginalization of Aboriginal culture. In this way, we can see how cultural narratives, while not even historically valid, can possess enormous power to create meanings and determine how we understand our histories and ourselves."
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Native American Culture, 2002.
A review of the book, ?Myths That Hide The American Indian" by Oliver La Farge, and a study of the cultural contributions of Native American tribes to North America.
895 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 21.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the societal structures of the various Native American tribes as seen in the book, ?Myths That Hide The American Indian" by Oliver La Farge. It describes the tremendous contributions of numerous Native American tribes in art, poetry, governmental structure and customs. The paper explores the European settlers? impact on the Native American people.
From the Paper
"An aspect of the essay that I found very interesting was the societal structures of the various Tribes. The tribes of the Southeast Mississippi Valley region were among the most advanced tribes in North America; in particular the Natchez tribe which had an elaborate social system. The social system of this tribe was divided into two groups; the aristocracy referred to as Suns and the common people called Stinkers. Within this system the common people could wed whomever they wanted but the aristocracy could only marry outside of their social group and the offspring would become a part of the aristocracy. This social system, as elaborate as it was, did create a problem because it decreased greatly the number of Stinkers within the tribe. To combat this the Natchez tribe would capture, torture, and enslave foreigners and if they survived they would become Stinkers in doing this they were able to perpetuate this social system."
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The Myth and Reality of the American Melting Pot, 2004.
Examines the role the media plays in promoting ideas of racial harmony and stereotyping in the United States.
1,180 words (approx. 4.7 pages), 3 sources, MLA, £ 27.95
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Abstract
Using, among others, Vincent N. Parrillo's essay, "Causes of Prejudice", as a source, this paper shows that Americans are not unique, either in the fictional absence of racism in the dominant media and culture or in the general, permeating presence of racism within various aspects of American society. The paper shows that television may not truly be color-blind, but it has helped to increase interracial familiarity, shatter some stereotypes, fortify the comfort zone, and multiply the number of black role models for everyone in America. The paper warns, however, that if not wisely deployed, television can play into the psychological factors discussed by Parrillo and simply provoke more institutionalized and societal racism.
From the Paper
"One must remember that prejudice is not merely confined to the American past. It is present in the American media today. Today, it sometimes seems as though the American media is growing progressively more integrated in its construction. Yet television and the integration of a mass, as opposed to a community media also allows for individuals to meet on the screen, without truly interacting with individuals upon a personal level. Individuals meet the media construction before they meet the human being of a different race or ethnicity, much as C.P. Ellis met stereotypes of Blacks in the white Southern rhetoric of his area, rather than actual individuals. (144) People see a Black person accused of a crime before they meet a Black father or a Black child in school."
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Hockey Myths and Canadian Culture, 2006.
A discussion of the hockey myths associated with Canadian culture through an analysis of Canadian contemporary literature.
900 words (approx. 3.6 pages), 0 sources, £ 24.95
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Abstract
There is no doubt that hockey in Canada is a rich field for the exploration of the most pervasive myths of Canadian culture. Specifically, the poems in John B. Lee's "The Hockey Player Sonnets: Overtime Edition" evoke some of these myths. However, there are significant differences between the myths that are reflected in Lee's poems, and the myths that are alluded to in Richard Gruneau's and David Whitson's "Hockey Night in Canada" and Elizabeth Etue's and Megan K. Williams's "On the Edge". These differences are explored in this essay.
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Impact Of Myths On African Culture And Society, 2002.
Looks at the significance of myths in African culture, society and religion.
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 2 sources, £ 30.95
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Abstract
This four-page undergraduate paper discusses the importance of mythology and folklores in the religion, social and cultural structure of the African continent. The African society is based on a tribal system, which is considered to be of immense importance, and these tribes follow the customs and traditions of their ancestors without questioning their validity.
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The Language of 'Pulp Fiction' Culture as a Myth, 2000.
A Barthesian reading of popular culture, centered around a promotional poster for the film "Pulp Fiction".
1,794 words (approx. 7.2 pages), 3 sources, MLA, £ 39.95
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Abstract
A brief examination of the movie "Pulp Fiction" from the aspect of language and its impact on culture.
From the Paper
"However, the danger and sophistication that are ever-present in the poster can only really be appreciated when related to the third myth, that of 'cool'. Danger in itself is not a myth, it is a definite fact of life that, in real-life, is taken seriously as a truth. But when the danger is removed from the individual then the cool aspect of danger can be perceived as a myth. Ultimately we know that smoking is bad for one's health, but when one is separated from it, the act becomes cool, we also know guns are extremely dangerous yet again once we can take that step away and they are no immediate threat to us, they can be perceived as cool. This removal that is necessary in order to establish the element of cool is achieved in an interesting way in the poster. Rather than being just a poster, the edges have been made to look worn and there are stylised wrinkles in the paper. The purpose of this is to enhance the illusion of this image that makes up the poster as being the cover of a 'trash novel'. We realise that in actual fact these images that we have been examining are being portrayed by the film company as fiction. "
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"Culture as Given, Culture as Choice", 2001.
This paper analyzes the book "Culture as Given, Culture as Choice" by Elst which studies culture and multiculturalism.
1,285 words (approx. 5.1 pages), 1 source, MLA, £ 30.95
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Abstract
This paper is an in-depth discussion of multiculturalism, it defines it and states that an entirely different view of culture is needed in the intellectual discourse of society. Elst analyzes culture using the example of analyzing sex. Elst makes it clear in his analysis that pluralities of identity are the norm, that everyone is multi-ethnic and multi-racial in some fashion. Finally, the paper concludes that each individual should study and redefine his own culture.
From the Paper
"Even in the current, mainstream political debate over what constitutes ?multiculturalism,? it is common cultural parlance to view culture as a static entity. Multiculturalism is defined as the manner in which more cultures are integrated into the fabric of the dominant discourse, rather than as a way of deconstructing notions of how culture itself is perceived and misperceived. As the title of Dirk Van Der Elst?s book Culture as Given, Culture as Choice, suggests, however, framing the debate in such a fashion is not necessarily the most radical choice. Elst suggests that nothing really exists as ?culture,? rather culture itself is a constructed, socially produced norm."
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The Cultural Usefulness of Myth, 2001.
A discussion on the different meaning of myth in various cultures.
1,020 words (approx. 4.1 pages), 0 sources, £ 25.95
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Abstract
This essay discusses how myth can be interpreted differently in various cultures. In order to support his views the author provide an example of the myth told about Venus and Adonis.
From the Paper
"One of the cultural usefulness of myth is that they allow for such a range of interpretations and retellings, allowing for each teller and each listener to bring to the myth ? and take away from it ? a lesson appropriate to her or his own time and psychological yearnings.
The two images that we are presented with here of Venus and Adonis provide a perfect demonstration of this, for they each tells a different story, and one moreover that is different from the most probable source."
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Hockey: A Canadian Popular Cultural Myth, 2002.
An overview of the sport of hockey as part of popular Canadian culture.
1,650 words (approx. 6.6 pages), 3 sources, £ 42.95
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Abstract
This paper will present hockey as a Canadian myth. The term "myth" however, will have a particular meaning, defined presently. The discussion will include popular Canadian culture as well as the meaning of Hockey stardom for the players, young players emulating them and aspiring to the NHL, and the meaning of hockey myths for the general populace.
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American Culture and Islamic Culture, 2002.
An overview of the similarities and differences between American and Islamic culture.
1,150 words (approx. 4.6 pages), 4 sources, £ 30.95
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Abstract
Thispaper examines and analyzes American and Islamic culture. Social structures, symbols, norms, values, and rituals are compared and contrasted, and respective strengths and weaknesses are discussed.
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High Culture and Popular Culture, 2003.
Applies concepts to the professional field of education.
1,575 words (approx. 6.3 pages), 6 sources, £ 38.95
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Abstract
Discusses tenured professors as representative of high culture and associate and/or adjunct professors as representative of popular culture. Describes the greater freedom of tenured professors.
From the Paper
"In his book, Popular Culture and High Culture: An Analysis and Evaluation of Taste, Herbert J. Gans distinguishes between producers and consumers of high and popular culture based on the disparities of educational attributes and class. Applied to the ..."
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Cultural Management - Culture Cannot Be Managed, 2008.
The paper discusses the question of if and how culture can be managed in a business environment.
1,928 words (approx. 7.7 pages), 5 sources, APA, £ 42.95
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Abstract
In this paper, the validity of the belief that in a business setting culture cannot be managed is critically analyzed and arguments are made both for and against the statement. The paper also presents examples that suggest that organizational culture does play a very important role in the success of the organization. However, these same examples also serve to reinforce a contention about the inability of corporate culture or management to undergo change.
From the Paper
"It must be acknowledged that the assertion - "Culture cannot be managed" - would likely meet with some degree of skepticism from organizational management students as well as corporate professionals. However, it may be argued that there is some validity to the perspective on the relationship between management and organizational culture that is manifest in this assertion. Consider, for example, the case of software giant J.D. Edwards. The corporation's CEO and chairman, C. Edward McVaney, contends that the success of a business often has very little to do with its management and senior executives who - as is commonplace in corporate culture - often come and go with minimal impact upon the organization itself. It is McVaney's view that the success of an organization is based upon its culture, which is usually invulnerable to change by management or business leaders. In McVaney's words: "95% of the time, the leaders and management of a business do not lead and manage that business" (Jesitus 16)."
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Caribbean Culture and Cultural Imperialism, 2007.
A discussion on whether the Caribbean society is too receptive and diverse for its own good.
1,633 words (approx. 6.5 pages), 6 sources, MLA, £ 36.95
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Abstract
This paper examines the Caribbean culture and at how its dynamic polyglot, diverse nature - and its ability, and even willingness, to accommodate different cultures and ethno-social traditions - has actually made it vulnerable on a number of profound levels. It explains that the Caribbean nations have shown a marked inability to throw off the cultural, linguistic and educational encrustations of the European nations which took over the region generations ago and which re-shaped their new fiefdoms in ways that effectively did away with pre-European values, codes, religions and dialects. The paper also looks at how many Caribbean young people attend English or French schools and prepare themselves for entry into a "global village" that is controlled by the very ethno-racial groups which turned their own lands "upside-down" in the seventeenth through nineteenth centuries. In essence, the paper shows that by looking at the fragmented nature of the Caribbean world and by looking at the impress of foreign language upon its peoples and formal structures, a region is revealed that has lost much of its ability to marshal its forces against external imperialistic forces. The writer believes that the Caribbean must start doing a better job of privileging its indigenous traditions and dialects or it will finally, ineradicably, lose them forever.
From the Paper
"Many observers are of the view that the Caribbean is a melting pot; that it is a place wherein European and non-European types "creolize" and thereby shed their different historical-national identities in favor of one that is "West Indian" in nature. This argument, however, has been vigorously challenged by others who assert that the Caribbean is really a collection of different regions which have their own unique, distinctive features. Simply put, while there may be regional similarities vis-a-vis food, music, dance, dress and a host of other elements, there are many more (or at least as many more) differences as there are similarities (Allahar, p.1-2). Simply put, Allahar appears to be to arguing two things: firstly, West Indian/Caribbean is diverse; secondly, despite this diversity, the region has certain societal features that distinguish it from other regions and which bind together its disparate elements."
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Advertising, Popular Culture and Capitalist Use of the Sub-Cultural, 2002.
An analysis of two articles dealing with the above topics.
1,400 words (approx. 5.6 pages), 2 sources, £ 36.95
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Abstract
A paper comparing two provided articles - Maynard's concerning homoerotica as employed to sell men's underwear among other products, and Hebdige's more general comments on the power of subcultures when representing reality via media.
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