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It’s early twentieth-century China. The vast majority of the citizenry is poor dirt farmers, growing and harvesting a meager living off of the land. Contrary to the general public, a farmer named Wang Lung has managed to rise from dirt to gold, poverty to wealth. When he has sons, however, they end up no longer respecting their elders, no longer farming the land, and no longer honoring the gods or giving them credit for their family’s success. In The Good Earth, Wang Lung’s children are raised in an atmosphere of privilege, leading them away from their family’s traditional values.
Individuality’s Role in Society Anthem is a dystopian novel written by Russian author Ayn Rand in 1937. Ayn Rand was avid about the importance of the individual, and she supported a hands off government, where the people define and sustain themselves. Ayn Rand’s interest in the government’s effect on society certainly led into her creation of Anthem. At the start of the novel, Equality 7-2521, the protagonist, writes from a secluded tunnel and shares about the dystopian society he lives in which prevents education, and individualism. The society prevents individuals from learning on their own, having questions, doubting their elders, and threatens any sort of rebellion or individuality with extreme punishment.
Family by Pa Chin is a captivating novel that describes what life in China was like in the twentieth century. Confucianism, a big religion in China at the time, was heavily focused on filial piety. Filial piety is the relationship of obedience, in which the elders are to be respected by the younger generation (Wu, lecture notes, 2015). This religion was one of the main structures on how the society was ran. Chin represents how the younger generation was upset with how the old traditions of the Confucian system were ran and that they were ready to change it.
The First chapter of the book, Anthem states,“It is a sin to write this. It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see. It is base and evil.” In the collectivist society Equality 7-2521 lives in, there are many rules put into place. In this society all must live as one and one must function as all.
“Now of happiness there is none greater than the confirmation of one’s line, of unfilial conduct there is none worse than childlessness. The monks forsake wives and children, reject property and wealth, Some do not marry all their lives.” In China, having a family is crucial. To the monks, family is just another pleasure that they do not need. “Wives, children, and property are the luxuries of the world, but simple living and inaction are the wonders of the Way.
Based on the Dimension of Culture Questionnaire, my Asian culture places emphases on human orientation and in-group collectivism. The findings are not at all surprising to “this” native Asian. As I mentioned in my previous self assessment, collective rights trump individual rights
The ideas I hear and experience today come from individualism. The ideas of collectivism and the ideas of what I hear around today are not that alike. In fact, they are quite different. The idea of collectivism focuses on the thought that the individual’s life exists not for him but rather for the group or society of which he is solely a section of, that he has no entitlements, and that he should give up his qualities and objectives for the gathering's greater good. According to collectivism, the gathering or society is the fundamental component of virtuous concern.
”(48). It is explicit that An-Mei has her own insightful outlook on family and how the flaws that they bore must be overlooked. To take away from the passage, she understands that a healthy familial relationship is necessary, and it is not possible for it to exist when there is conflict amongst the family members. Ultimately, An-Mei displayed her complexity of the capability to comprehend the situation she, her mother, and Popo are in which aids the development of the familial relationships theme.
R. Reid wrote Confucius Lives Next Door to illustrate how the teachings of the ancient philosopher and political activist, known in the west as Confucius, have influenced East Asian cultures as they have risen in economic power, how Confucian ethos are expressed in contemporary Japanese’s culture and how Confucius’s teachings revolve around loyalty between individuals and the groups they belong to. Those groups include one’s family, his neighbors, the company he works for or the school he attends, and any other group of people he associates with. Being a responsible member of a group is central to East Asian culture versus the Western, particularly American, focus on individuality. Reid’s book provides both anecdotal and empirical evidence on the cultural results of this group focused philosophy on
Robert W. Krepps’ short story “Pride of Seven” demonstrates that in a case of social conformity versus individuality, individuality will eventually triumph in the end, as it takes great courage and patience to strive toward being truly non-conformant. The “Pride of Seven” begins with the introduction of En-gerr, a Masai man who has previously refused to go through the rite of passage into adulthood, which requires him to kill a lion. Around the time the narrator meets En-gerr, he also meets El Asfar, the leader of a nearby pride of lions who is dealing with a divergent youngster of his own (Black Mane). Once En-gerr discovers El Asfar, he decides En-gerr decides he must kill El Asfar because he has never seen a finer lion. This decision leaves the narrator confused on whether to support his friend
As seen by the mothers’ and daughters’ behavior towards each other in The Joy Luck Club, it is difficult to preserve one’s culture when one is exposed to a new environment or country. With a difference of two distinct generations between them, the four main pairs often come across cultural collisions. Other than facing the age gap, these mothers and daughters also have to deal with a language and communication barrier. Already, at the beginning of the story, Jing-Mei Woo is able to understand how the mothers of the “Joy Luck Club” are displeased with their daughter’s rejection of their Chinese culture. She speaks to herself, admitting that “they are frightened.
Have you ever went to a new school and it may have been in a different area, state, or city and you felt as if you were different. You may was feeling that way because you didn’t know anyone and your a new student. Well that’s how immigrants feel when they move to America from another country but sometimes it may be worse because they’ll have to adjust to different climate changes, traditions, being judged, and etc. In the Joy Luck Club is a book about chinese and American cultural differences in many aspects.
Going It Alone” The author argues that the Eastern concept of “self” is quite different from the Western concept contrast. Asian feeling good often comes from participating in a group, as evidenced by the fact that in the Chinese language, there is no word " individualism ". The closest you can come from the word "selfish". It 's not the only Asians are less aware of the individual, and also see themselves as softer, describing "themselves" in different ways according to the occasion.
In a western society that continuous to renounce communalism and embrace individualism, it is easily noticed that the problems faced by few are ignored by the many. This ignorance, intentional or not, is allowing communal problems to accelerate the pace. However, the issue at hand is one that affects you whether or not you are aware of it; if you are an American, or in any western society for that matter. It affects nearly twenty percent of the under eighteen population in the United States and costs taxpayers on average 14 billion dollars per year. As a Parent, it can tack $19,000 onto the total of raising each child.
I enjoyed reading your post about individualist and collectivist values compared to marriage analogy. As I was reading the differences in the two I began to relate it to and individual personality. Is the difference between individualist and collectivist any different than an introvert versus and extrovert? An introvert personality is one that focuses on them self and no one else, while and extrovert is one that likes to have the outside world involved in things.
