Cultural Values and Norms of Americans: Thanksgiving Essay

Culture is the overall moral belief, customs, language, and attitudes a person is brought and raised into. Daily, we are exposed to diverse and different cultures everyday which allow us to learn the different values and traditions each culture possess. The importance of observing and learning different customs is beneficial because it can help us better adapt and prevent misunderstandings when we communicate and interact with others. Hispanics and Americans are two huge cultures that have been sharing the same living space for years but are an example of two different civilizations. While both, Hispanics and Americans, share many similarities they both differ in recognition of religion, language,

Culture is a set of ideals and values about life that are widely shared among people and that guide specific behaviors. Differences, as well as similarities, can be seen when comparing world cultures. We communicate with each other, we feed ourselves with food, and when we sleep we often dream. However, we speak different languages, eat different types of foods, and dream different ways. We call these cultural differences. What causes them is not always obvious to the ordinary person (Nancy). I feel culture is what really sets us apart from each other and what makes us unique as individuals and families.

Culture is a behavior that consists of several critical elements, such as language, religion, race and ethnicity, clothing and politics. Culture is what one does in his/her daily life. In order to understand others, we must first keep in mind that every culture carries its own set of values and assumptions. Culture is an evolving, ever changing civilization, which includes several different groups people. For immigrants, America is a land of opportunity; for others it is just the best country in the world because of its economic success and/or its democratic political system. Americans usually value independence a lot, believe in equal opportunity, and have a direct communication style. In exploring the

Culture is a very vital part of the world as we know it today. There are very many different cultures all around the world. In the USA, we have a mix of all the different cultures and and family values. From the original Native Americans that inhabited America to the Middle Eastern people in Afghanistan. These people groups have brought their language, food, values, and customs with them.

Holidays are always celebrated no matter religion, beliefs, or culture. Some are recognized more than others but none two are as highly recognized like the cherished Christmas and Thanksgiving holidays. The pair may seem vastly different, as they are two completely separate occasions, but in actuality they do share very similar attributes. Many of the similarities and differences are about to be explained, so here goes.

It is mind boggling to know that despite the quest for knowledge and learning the truth behind our history, yet a vast number of people still celebrate thanksgiving. What are we really thankful for?

Thanksgiving Holiday means so much to me. I love to celebrate that extended weekend with my family. On the eve of the big day, my cousins and I meet at an elder’s house and then the festivities began. This shared feast started in 1621 with the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians sharing a harvest feast ("Thanksgiving," 2016). A portion of the food can be prepared the day before. We decide who would handle what task and when it time clean up the second generation, always try to make the third generation do it. We then continue to cook and clean and reminisce of our past year. Sometimes we would bring up our childhood pranks and stories of family members that passed and present. On the day of Thanksgiving we finish cooking,

I’m going to give you an example of my most memorable Thanksgiving. This goes back to four years ago. I believe I was in the seventh grade around this time. Thanksgiving was at my grandmother's house that year. So everyone definitely came for the food. The problem was that my two aunties weren’t getting along at that time. One came up from Florida and the other came up from Jamaica. My aunty Darrett was from Jamaica and my auntie Reds is from Florida. They were my grandma’s sisters. Now imagine being in a house on a holiday with two of your family members not speaking. Once it was time for us to eat we all was

It’s the season of fall, almost winter. The leaves turn into a mix of all types of orange colors and the change of decor your mom brings to the house to advocate the time of Thanksgiving or the foods you’ve been waiting all year round to just smash your face into. That’s what I think of when Thanksgiving comes to mind! Out of all the holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years Eve, ETC; my favorite one of all would be Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a time where the problems you had with your cousins,fights with your parents, and even the disconnection between your other family members, when it’s Thanksgiving day though, all those problems are left at the door step.

Thanksgiving is a holiday that is celebrated in America, but it has a fairly dark history to what most people know. Most people know that the Pilgrims came over to America on a boat called the mayflower and made friends with the Native Americans then they celebrated it and made this holiday. While this is somewhat true there is more to it than that. For example the Pilgrims may have came on a boat called the Mayflower, but it wasn’t to make friends with the Native Americans but to spread

It was a cold November evening when my family gathered at an uncle’s house to celebrate our Thanksgiving. One of my aunts brought her typical marshmallow yams, and one of my uncles brought their typical banana bread. Another brought Soba Salad, and another brought Spicy Kimchi Squid. As the food gathered to the dining table, just as everyone had arrived, we all gathered in the living room. My grandfather sitting on the couch as the head figure of the family brought out a book that everyone knew very well, the Bible. As we began to worship our God, in the middle of one of my grandfather’s sermon, an alluring aroma filled the room all the children, including myself, began to drool. It was of course, the main dish, the ham. As we finished our

Thanksgiving is a national and annual holiday where people express their gratitude and appreciation towards family members, friends, significant others, their religion, their health, their education, or are appreciative of what they have. Most of us are all aware that Thanksgiving is one of the happiest days of the year because we all share a traditional meal with our family and often give thanks to our loved ones. Typically, on this day interactions are what is primarily being focused on. Everyone is communicating with one another about how grateful they are to have them in their lives and this ultimately strengthens and provides reassurance to the relationship. The most important part about Thanksgiving is that all families come together

Performing the ritual of “giving thanks” helps us feel connected to the reason we are celebrating the holiday, just as the baseball players feel connected to the their past triumphs. These rituals attempt to justify the actions of congregating together and overindulging in large amounts of food although we do not really think about the true story of Thanksgiving in a historical

For most people, Thanksgiving Day is synonymous with family, food, and fun. This uniquely American holiday is seen by many as just a wholesome family celebration with roots going back to the time of the Pilgrims. Nevertheless, those of us who take the time to learn the true history of Thanksgiving Day know that there is nothing wholesome, family oriented, or worthy of celebrating in the roots of this holiday.

The concept of culture is something that defines many aspects of one’s life. From physical objects to different ways of thinking, culture adds significance to human life and makes groups of people distinct from one another. Culture is essentially a group of people who come together with similar interests and points of view. According to the Center for Advanced Language Acquisition of the University of Minnesota, “culture is defined as the shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs, and affective understanding that are learned through a process of socialization.” From a more sociological perspective, culture is a way in which people come together in order to fulfill their needs. These shared patterns and ideas identify the members of a culture group while also distinguishing those of another group.” Culture is one of the things that sets the United States apart from the rest of the world. Not that the rest of the world is not cultural, but the circumstance here is different. Many people of different cultural backroads come to this country in search of a better life. As a consequence, the United States has become a place where many cultures merge together like a colossal pot soup.