Importance and Relevance of Cultural Stories

Everyone is unique in this world. They may be different because of their background culture, customs and beliefs as it changes them throughout their lives. In the novel “The Light in the Forest”, a 15 year old boy called True Son experiences two very different cultures that has irreconcilable differences. When True Son was 4 years old, he was adopted by an Indian tribe. Since then, he has been taught the cultures and customs of Native Indians. But soon afterwards, he was exposed to the “Whites” cultures and beliefs. Within the novel, there are characters who play parallel roles from both sides of each culture (Indians and “Whites” that relate to True Son).

Throughout human existence, mankind has had to overcome difficult obstacles in order to prosper. In Diane Glancy’s “Pushing the Bear”, the reader discovers how the Cherokee Indians overcome their hardships and flourish into a new, thriving community. In this novel, the audience observe how these Cherokee Indians outlast the harsh environment during the Indian Removal Act. Additionally, Glancy creates a human experience during the Trail of Tears; giving a different perspective of various characters. Through the eyes of characters such as Maritole and Knobowtee, the reader is able to sense the desperation that the Cherokee endured. The upheaval of being forcefully removed from the land stripped the Cherokee of their identity. This disruption left the Cherokee confused, causing frustration to arise because they were unable to live their familiar roles. Men were no longer able to farm. Women had a loss of property and wealth. The bear symbolizes these struggles throughout this novel. Maritole explains, “The bear had once been a person. But he was not conscious of the consciousness he was given. His darkness was greed and self-centeredness. It was part of myself, too. It was part of the human being” (183). In other words, the “bear” is the personal dilemma each character is put up against during this removal. Furthermore, each character has their own personal struggles to overcome; whether that be Knobowtee’s loss of masculinity or Maritole’s loss of family. These struggles,

Although stories are a universal art form, they hold a more significant role in Native American culture, and literature. This occurs due to the millennia spent in isolation from the rest of the world, and having stories as the main source of entertainment. Thomas King’s statement, “stories can control our lives,” is an important notion, because it embarks on the idea of molding the diseased into more interesting versions of themselves. The statement is prevalent in many pieces of literature which fuse reality into the imagination, and cause people to lose themselves in the fictitious realm. Native literature is all closely related, and they all hold messages within their stories that show their great culture; both the good and the bad. Story

What is culture? Culture is the idea of what is wrong or right, the concept of what is acceptable within our society. Culture serves us as a guide, taking us to the "right way" and helping us to make sense of things that surrounds us. There are many different cultures around the world. A lot of them are similar in specific ways and others are just completely different, this difference explains why we think that people from different backgrounds are "weird".

Dave Eggers’ “Another” and Ernest Hemingway’s “An African Story” both tell tales of coming of age through journeys. In Eggers’ story, the middle aged protagonist is on a trip in Egypt. He goes against the advice of his government and leaves his comfort zone to go through new experiences. In Hemingway’s narrative, the young main character David goes on an elephant hunt with his father and a friend, Juma, and witnesses the death of an elephant; as a result he feels as though he understands it, that he has bonded with it. The stories’ similarities show coming of age through death and adventure, however, growth for the characters come at different ages and with opposing perspectives on the outcomes of their adventures.

Native American literature is the root of cultural storytelling, which is told through oral tradition, this consist of stories and songs verbally. Native American literature use literary conventions in the root of myth and symbolic examples in storytelling. The book “Native American Literature: A Brief Introduction and Anthology” gives good insight into the Native American ways of life and how storytelling is a part of that life. Short stories by Simon Oritz and Luther Standing Bear share life experience and cultural diversity. The reader can see how historical, social and political, and cultural ways play a role in the Native Americans storytelling.

I am Scottish and English, but that means absolutely nothing to me. To me I am your classic white american boy. I am from Lake George New York, born in Glens Falls Hospital. I love to watch American football(My team is the NY Jets or the NY Giants) I am a big Gamer, and I LOVE to grill.

In the original Grimm version of the story, Hansel and Gretel overhear their stepmother planning to abandon them in the woods, so that she and their father could survive the famine that has spread across the country. "Only rarely do we hear of parents who plot the death of their offspring" (65) and the Disney adaptation has no mention of parents or any reason for Hansel and Gretel to be in the woods in the first place. Children, and parents, today would not be comfortable with the idea of parents abandoning their kids "in the woods to die of exposure or starvation" which was an unfortunate reality for some in the 17th and 18th centuries, which "saw wide spread famine on the European continent." The threat of abandonment has been completely removed from the Mickey Mouse version as it may scare children - especially those with step-parents they don't particularly get along with.

As a Mexican-American person my perspective of Cultural Identity is unique from other people. The music I listen to, the food I eat, and the way I dress is different. Mexico is my country and so is United States, I love both of them. My mom was born in Mexico and my dad in California. I have two types of culture, my Mexican culture and the way of life in the U.S.

Skating is a main part of my cultural identity, but so is riding dirt bikes and quads. Aside from the fun activity’s, I have more important things to do, such as getting good grades so I can get into college, and being respectful to others and myself.

Cultural identity doesn’t define who you are, but it does show where you came from. My cultural identity means more than the family I was born into. For example, I may have grown up in a few different states without my father, but that just shows where I came from, not who I am. My personal cultural identity is unique because I have all my memories in photo albums, enjoy having a good steak, and connect with music that gives a glimpse of what I’ve dealt with.

Growing up as a child, I wore my dark black hair back in tight braids, baggy jeans, my tanned skin in white tank tops, and sneakers; not to express culture appropriation, but because it was all that I had. My surrounding environment was full of diverse races, and seeing color was a part of my daily routine. As I grew up and began to change throughout life, my environment did as well. I moved from the city streets to a suburban area, and as time wore on I noticed a distinct lack of color amongst my peers. Instead of me looking at the world the same day by day, it was as if the entire world was looking at me.

Who am I? Where do I belong? I was raised and born in Palm Springs, California. I'm German, Irish, Jewish, the rest I'm not sure. In California it was normal being white. I didn't feel like an outsider. I felt normal. But when I moved to Hawaii I didn't feel normal. I didn't know people would judge you for being white or as they say it, a "Haulie" . But I think I let that word get the best of me because it's only a word that describes a white person. That's what I am. But the only thing that gets to me is, why do they say it? Why do they have to remind me that I'm white? I been with myself for along time, I think I know I'm white.

I am from St. Croix, Virgin Islands, which means I am a Cruzan. However, my father is from Viequez, Puerto Rico. When I was a child the cultural identity for my household was Cruzan and Puerto Rican. My father is a fisherman and our meal contained of a lot of sea food. My favorite sea foods are lobster, conch, octopus, and barracuda.

As a second generation Chinese-Vietnamese American, I often found it difficult to identify myself as American or Chinese. I felt as if I did not entirely belong in one culture or the other as my peers often bullied me for being “too Asian” if I brought lunch from home or wore ethnic clothing. Despite social exclusion, I maintained my cultural identities because it defined myself and my cultural origins. I realized the importance of diversity in a field like healthcare when I witness non-English Vietnamese speakers in the hospital having difficulty forming coherent questions regarding their needs and requests.