The Gift By Marcel Mauss: Orientation To The Cosmos

Joseph E. Lee was born in Philadelphia in 1849, he graduated from Howard University in 1873. He moved to Florida that same year and became the first African American lawyer in Jacksonville and in the state of Florida. He served in the House of Representatives from 1875 to 1879 and in the state Senate from 1881 to 1882. He was one of the most influential African American men in Florida through the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. He was elected municipal judge of Jacksonville and was one of the first African Americans to have this honor. He educated free slaves at a college by the name of Edward Waters College. Lee worked as a public servant acting at various times as a state legislator, a lawyer, federal customs collector and educator.

The receiver of the gift is better off in a utilitarian sense, if he chooses not to return the favor. Yet why does he have the desire to repay? Why does receiving a gift put him at a social disadvantage? The economy of gift of Bataille differs from Nietzsche’s creditor-debtor relationship with regard to the psychology behind these two dynamics. While Bataille delved into the mentality of the giver, who has the upper hand in this power relation, Nietzsche focused on the psychology of the debtor. Bataille construed the economy of gifting as an act out of man’s “animal factor” that goes beyond the want of acquisition – a human instinct to win and to overpower. It is in man’s nature to covet “prestige, glory and rank” (Bataille, 1997, p. 376), yet they do not come without comparison and competition. Thus, the giver of the gift has to deliberately create a rivalry, and thus, an inequality that favors himself in order to acquire prestige, glory and rank. It is this desire for superiority that gives man the ultimate incentive to give away his wealth. Gifting is to win by losing. It also explains the increment value in the return of the gift, for the receiver of the initial gift not only wants to recover his equality with the initial giver, but also to overpower him, to defeat him. The same desire that fuels the endless cycle of gifting rituals like moka and potlatch. One good potlatch deserves another, and

A gift that is pure, with no strings attached given with untainted caring is so much more meaningful than a gift that is given with ties attached to it. Most Secwepemc gave their gifts in the former approach. Gifts were given without any expectation. Such was the way of the Secwepemc that we expected to count on those that had accepted our help. The gift to the ‘unknown stranger’ was not given with a demand to help the tribe. It is more than just an understanding, it is a deep respect. There were no ties attached to the gift given to the ‘unknown stranger’ it was more of an understanding to help those that have helped you.

(171) Patico argues that cost now determines the logic of values in informal exchanges, but the gift given, and the attention to what gift is selected, has not changed.

The main point in both texts is that everything that is offered needs to be returned with something of equal or greater value. In Mauss’s text, he focuses on how humans have typically been obligated to give, receive and reciprocate gifts. He uses examples of the competitive gift-giving of the Northwest Native-Americans, the obligatory gift-giving of Polynesian cultures, and the religious gift-giving of the Eskimos to emphasize how this is one of the foundations of human culture. Lee’s text follows a similar strand. He argues that giving something means you will get something in return whether you want it or not. He showed this in his story, he gave ox got a lesson on humbleness. Together these texts show an interesting perspective on the concept

The definition of giving is to present voluntarily and without expecting compensation; bestow. There is something powerful in giving, and there is something powerful in receiving. We can’t have giving without receiving. We can’t have receiving without giving. They both require each other.

The poor were not simply objects upon whom donations were bestowed but, as Duffy stipulates, were expected to play a critical role in helping their benefactors achieve salvation. Utilising Mauss’ anthropological model of gift exchange, the poor as the recipients of charitable works were engaged

The Native Americans worked with reciprocity. “Reciprocal exchanges of presents sealed relationships-between the man who gave the meat he hunted and his wife's longhouse, between the longhouse matron who distributed that meat and "the other Persons in the Family according to their Age," and between the man and those who gave him gifts of tobacco, knives, or awls when he invited them to his lineage's feast.” (Iroquois P4) Previously mentioned was the bases of giving gifts as showing wealth. The gifts also solidified that you could provide for your people and you would be a good leader.

The act of reciprocity, the mutual act of giving and receiving; giving more than you are taking. A quote that really captures the true meaning of reciprocity is, “People gave with the expectation of taking and took with the expectation of giving” (Harris 1989). This is seen across many different cultures and time periods. Nevertheless, they are not all the same, and may not generate equivalent types of relationships, for social and personal value. In this essay we will look at two separate acts of reciprocity; how they work, and what they provide. First, a look into the Gebusi sister-exchange, and then into the Kawelka’s moka ceremony. Everyone desires connection, whether that be through friendships or sexual relations.

My object of study is the book, The Giving Tree, by author Shel Silverstein. Recently celebrating its 50th anniversary selling more than ten million copies the book is considered a “library mainstay” and “classroom cornerstone”(Collins). This book is worth researching because of its controversial opposing viewpoints. In a New York Times article, Elissa Strauss wrote that, “The book was designed to be a happy one” but considered “one of the most divisive” of children’s literature classic (Strauss). The Shel Silverstein website states that he created “a moving parable for readers of all ages that offers an affecting interpretation of the gift of giving and a serene acceptance of another's capacity to love in return.”

Religious beliefs soon formed new values as the importance of gift giving became a ‘tradition’ among religions. In most religions helping others who could not help themselves was already a steadfast belief. As people’s values of wanting to help and give to others started to intertwine with the calendar holidays many people started to look for newer and better gift ideas for their loved ones and soon strangers as well. Christian’s predominantly could be found buying minuscule little gift items, such as notebook paper, pencils, and ribbons, for the homeless children, their families and the poorer community that could not provide for themselves during the holiday seasons.

This process was relevant to interpersonal gifting and after a couple of weeks I found myself with a case of ‘gifting anxiety’ because I have never bought a significant gift for my boyfriend before.

Stories of love and sacrifice abound in literature. Perhaps one of the most well known stories among teens and adults is the tale of a poor, young couple struggling to find the perfect Christmas gifts for each other using their very limited means. They each manage to get what they think is the perfect gift for the other, but only accomplish this by selling a prized possession which effectively makes the new gifts impractical. This bittersweet narrative, “The Gift of the Magi” by O. Henry, illustrates the moral idea that a person, motivated by nothing but love for another, can possess a willingness to give in a self-denying way which necessitates that the reader consider that wealth be measured by something more than having money

The anthropology of gifts has been mostly studied in the context of non-Western cultures. The important roles of gift giving were highlighted by classical anthropologists such as Malinowski, Mauss and Levi-Strauss. They stressed the significance of reciprocity and obligation suggested in gift exchange and that gift giving is a one practice of material expression that integrates a society.

`Authors Note: I am upset because my favorite team in football, the Dallas Cowboys, has lost their last game against the Green Bay Packers with a final score of 35 to 31. The Cowboys had a chance in the dying minutes of the game to score and win the game. This fanfiction is going to be a bizarre twist on the of the last two minutes of the game with the commentators' speech. The commentators' names are Joe Buck and Troy Aikman. I am also going to change the magnitude of the game to the winner goes to the Super Bowl so this is the NFC Championship game.