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Orientalism In Sarah Macdonald's 'Holy Cow'

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Orientalism is the westernized views on the Middle East and East/South Asian communities. It is when Asia is represented in a stereotyped way, with the simplest ideologies of it never changing or sticking to the old ways. According to Edward W. Said, orientalism influenced the development of literary theory, cultural criticism, and it is the cultural representations of the West's patronizing of the "The East."
Reviewing the book “Holy Cow!” by Sarah Macdonald’s and the television sitcom Little Mosque on the prairie by Zarqa Nawaz, I was able to find many similarities and differences. The non-western religions in the work of Nawaz and Macdonald challenge’s Orientalism. This can be displayed through the “Holy Cow!” and Little Mosque on the prairie. …show more content…

She is originally from Australia, who travels to India to live with boyfriend Jonathan, who is a South Asia correspondent for an Australian Broadcasting Corporation. At first, her view of India is a heavily polluted country with a lot of poverty, but her retreat changed her view. Throughout the book, she grows as a person and took away a little bit from every culture in India.
The television sitcom Little Mosque on the prairie, season 4 episode 16 and 17 is about a rural town in Saskatchewan called mercy. Where there is a river within and between Muslim and Christian casts. The Character’s in this show struggle to fight for what they believe in at the beginning of the episode but near the end, they come together as one and help each other out.
Orientalism is a western facade place on Asians. The first facade I saw was at the beginning of the book was when Sarah MacDonald has left India and returning home. At the airport on her way home Sarah encountered a beggar, in her encounter the beggar read her palm and told her about the future that she has coming, “you, madam, you come back to India, you come for love, you love it, you will love us again (MacDonald 2003, 2).” Which brings the tourist stereotype and culture shock. Through her first trip to India, she experiences heavy pollution, earthquake, beggars, views on the relationship and the beautiful culture. She did not enjoy her first experience in India because of the filter of orientalism she had up throughout the

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