BA English / Robert Leunre

                             Robert Leunre

          In his essay Robert Leunre discusses about cultural differences in regards with the concept of time and the intercultural misunderstandings and conflicts that owns the variations in the temporal concept of time.

This essay is based on the personal experience of the writer himself, as a writing professor at Brazil. In the essay he discusses about the difficulties he had had in a college to a new concept of social time, which reflects different cultural beliefs, assumption and values then he was habitual in his native country i.e. us. After his experience with Brazilian student teachers and other people, the writer realized that the people did have different concept and values about the time. These people were unable to materialize the time and follow it’s pace.

        Unlike American students, the Brazilian student ignored the time value and came in the class, without hesitation, even long after the commencement of the class. Besides they were in no hurry after leaving the class for they surrounded the teacher for a long time. Moreover the writer also found that even the professions were not punctual. They made the guilty for turning up late likewise his experience with the landlord suggested the same. Although he waited for him for a long time, he was unable to meet him, Undoubtedly the people of Brazil make apartments but they never travel themselves respecting the valves of time obviously they understand their social time but it make a great confusion to the people like the writers, who is accustomed to the exactness of the time.

As a child, the thought that time was measured by a clock but later in his maturity he know that it was measured by culture.

          As a writing prof. he knew that Brazilians Report everything for tomorrow. ‘Amanha” was highly valued in their culture.

          He also noticed that exactness of the time was not possible in Brazil. The people had their own concept of time and they more accordingly.

          The Brazilians didn’t have the concept of early and late. They seem almost indifferent to the valve of time.

          Not only the students, the prof. were also indifferent to the value of time. They were found of making appointments but never turn up on time.

          The writers also noticed the high people or the landlords display their value by not being punctual. He waited for his landlord for more than two hours but the landlord didn’t wait for him even for the minutes.

          In conclusion he realized that Brazilian concept of time was taking. They wasted their time in talking.

          Levin in this narrating essay describes cultural differences in concept of time and inter cultural conflict and misunderstanding that after worries from these temporal variations. In order to enhance the intercultural experience Levine stresses the importance of learning unwritten rules about time in a new culture.

          Levine in this essay means that rules of punctuality are strongly shaped by cultural values and believes.

          Levine clarifies the concept of social time and says that social time is a cultural tempo. Orientation reflects  unconscious values believes and rules. The components of social time and concept of punctuality, pace of life and orientation of past, present and future are discussed.

          Adjusting to a forming concept of time is different because it reflects values, believes and rules that are after very different from those of the writers culture and that are unwritten or hidden.

          In this place of writing Robort Levine maintains that there are cultural differences in concept of time reflecting eluverse values and believes which often lead to intercultural conflict and misunderstanding. By learning about a new cultures pace of life rules of partiality and orientation to past, present and future a writer can minimize problems and facilitate cultural adjustments.

Where do we stand?

Where do We Stand?

                                                          Lisa Davis

          In this essay the writer is trying to show how the body position can have non- verbal communication. Though the position of the body, the people also communicated their cultural differences not only between the countries but also within the same country.

          The people from middle east are been to make physical intimacy where the Americans maintains a distance when a businessman of middle east steps forward the Americans steps backwards as far as possible.

          The difference of personal space is with in access. The male and the female of the same location show different physical intimacy. The female would like to come quite closer than the males.

          The cultural differences can be seen in classroom environment the American culture teaches the students to make a direct eye contact with the teacher whereas the Asian student feel it as disrespect to the teachers. One the other hand an American teacher feels it as insult if the students break of the eye contact. Similarly, a Japanese unless fell quite uncomfortable when his American partner deals with him informal manner.

Key points.

a)      American use more eye contact than do the Japanese.

b)    South Americans conjure at a close distance then do the northern Europeans.

c)     Saudi Arabians show more physical contact than the Americans. They show intimacy by holding hands walk in the street joining the hands but the American hate it.

d)    Men keep greater distance than the women and women tend to make more eye contact than the man.

e)     The Asian try to understand a person though sense perception and they go quite close to a person but the Americans try to understand though gestures.

f)      The Asian students show respect to the teacher by breaking the direct eye contact with the teacher there as the western students maintains it through direct eye contact.

Main theme

          Where do you stand? Is an essay by Lisa Davis in which she is focusing on the importance of intercultural studies, specially the location of the body? It is obvious the meaning of the body differs from culture to culture group to group with in a country even between the gender and so on. there is a greater chance at misunderstanding about body position and consequently there is a disaster in order to prevent the misunderstanding at the detail I is necessary to study inter-cultural practices.

          In the present time the entire world has became a global village and he people have earn inter-cultural practices to avoid he possible misunderstand, specially the people of business world are prove to each misunderstand. They have to deal with people from different world on might be showing the sense of intimacy but the same manner might be unnatural for the other for example holding hands is a sign of showing affection to the other in the eastern culture but they looks really unnatural in American culture , similarly making on eye contact with the teacher or concern person is a sign of respect in American cultural Whereas it is a sign of disrespect in eastern culture underbelly if a Nepalese student those to Americans classes he finds the classroom environment really strange unless he is given the version of intercultural studies.

          Therefore the unlike justifies tact he need for inter-culture studies has became and essential part in the modern situation specially with globalization. It would bee much easier for the people of alliance culture to appreciate the culture of the other people of they know that keeping physical intimacy and despair differs from people to people.

AMERICAN VALUES AND ASSUMPTION / Gary Althen / BA English

AMERICAN VALUES AND ASSUMPTION

www.paniroti.com/blog

                                                                             Gary Althen

The main point

Individualism:

          The most important thing to understand about Americans is probably their devotion to individualism. They are trained from many early in their views to consider themselves as separate individuals who are responsible for their own situations in life and their own destinies.

Competition:

          Individualistic Americans neutrally see themselves as beings in competition with others competitiveness pervades the society. It is obvious in the attention given to athletic events and star athletes who are praised for being real competitors.

Privacy:

          Also closely associated with the value they place an individualism is the importance American assign to privacy. Americans assume that people “need some time to themselves” or “some time alone” to think about things or recover their spent psychological energy.

Equality:

          American are also instinctive in the degree to which they believe in the ideal as stated in their declaration of independence that all men are created equal.

Informality:

          The sense of  equality makes the Americans to be informal we rarely see the Americans being informal dress up. They use slang o address each other they never how to the serious. They attend the public ceremonies even in casual dress.

The future, change and progress:

          The American ignore the past and focus in future. Look ahead is their main slogan. They never regret for the past but see the future besides they believe in changed though the effort of  the people . they believes that time is under the control of human beings.

Time:

          For the American “ motion is progress and labour is money. They appreciate the people who make well use of time well organized people get social respect.

Achievement, action work and materialism:

          For the Americans that a person is more important than who the persons belongs to the work that a person does aspects are ignored.

Directness and assertiveness:

          The Americans are open minded and they speak directly to others. Besides they are clever mined and devoted to their works.

Los Pobres / -Richard / BA English

Los Pobres

-Richard

In this autobiographical story, the writer expresses his own experience as a construction worker. In order to experience the pain and pleasure of the ‘real work’, he  joins  the summer work but he is unable to feel the real experience of “Los Pobres” i.e poor and powerless. Only after seeing the pathetic condition of the Mexican Migrant workers, he realizes the real condition as well as exploitation of Los Pobres.

In this autobiographical story, the writer speaks for the rights of Los Pobres i.e the poor and powerless people. Although this story is related with the writer himself, there is a great empathy with the working class people for the writer himself tried to feel the real experience of the hard work. Besides, the writer, in the beginning thought that the workers were  different from what his mother told him about but later he realized that the real workers were truly poor and powerless.

During his graduation, the writer was in search of the summer job and one of his friends suggested him that he should get a job as a worker. In fact, the writer would like to experience the suffering of the ‘real work’ because he would like to show his father that he even had the experience of it. During his interview with the contractor, the writer aid that he had the experience of physical labour though he had never worked physically in his life. Undoubtedly the people have told him that the physical the physical labour was beyond his capacity but he enjoyed the work very much. Moreover, unlike his expectations, he found the workers not being ‘Los Pobres’ but being middle class as well as like himself. He was ever surprise that the workers were not of similar interest and skills even though they were daily wage labours. They had diverse interest and skills for example some of them were abstract painters where as some others were poet and the writers.

The writer, in the beginning felt that he had got the experience of the ‘real work’ but later he realized that an educated person could never feel the real experience of the Mexican Migrant work as made him realized that they lack public identity remain completely and they were the people falling apart. Due to the lack of proper communication or the language, problem they wrere acting like the puppet in the command of their contractor. Moreover, they were unaware of the minimum human rights and consequently they were victimised rudely. Their quietness was the indication of how helpless they were in the foreign land. Their sweating face and the hard harsh body really invited the sympathy from the writer. He obviously got the answer which he was searching for from his childhood. He clearly knew that he could never be the ‘Los Pobres’.

This story is very powerful not only in depicting the life of the poor and powerless but also in advocating for their rights. Indirectly, the writer speaks for the poor and the powerless people and  against their exploitation by the employers. Despite being an autobiographical story, this story is able to generalize the common experience of the working people. Similarly this story changes the perspective of the people towards the working class people. Instead of heretic and mockery, they deserve love and respect.

The Rage To Know

The Rage To Know
www.paniroti.com

-Horace Freeland Jrdson

In this essay, the writer explains the various reasons for which the scientists are involved in their professions including challenges, exhibitions, discoveries and pleasures. They believe that they can put themselves apart through the scientific endeavours.

In this essay, the writer tries to dig out the causes behind the involvement of the scientists in their profession. In fact," it is the moment of truth” that motivates them to remain in their profession. The scientific discoveries is not only clear but it is also beautiful. As a result, the scientist are eager to remain in their profession and give the society something new. Besides the scientist also know that there is unity in diversity. They always try to find out a binding element among the diverse things.

Obviously, there are  numbers of hurdles, dissatisfaction as well as frustration. However, the pride is still keeping himself apart from the peer as well as the sense of competition always motivate the scientist for their hardwork. Moreover, curiosity and passion for work are inevitable part of the scientist. Once they stop their work, they don’t live it until they get get a satisfactory conclusion. Along with other motivation, there is an impulse of the rage to know. Every scientist has strong thirst for knowledge which is not quenched until he gets something for which he can feel pride for. Similarly, there is a pleasure motive in the discovery of the scientist. Whenever they see a new thing and unending curiosity gets born in them and consequently they get pleasure out of it.

Though this essay is concerned with the scientist and their devotion and determination to their world, as a whole, this essay tries to inspire the people that despite the frustration and difficulties, now has to do his work, feeling tremendous leisure the devoted world or labour one can draw a good reserve.

Our Schedules Ourselves / -Jay Walljasper / BA English

0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE

Our Schedules Ourselves
www.paniroti.com

-Jay Walljasper

In this essay, the writer advocates for the free use of time. He hates the idea of schedule life and recommends for the magical spontaneous moments that provide the real bliss of life. As soon as a person breaks up his schedule, he gets freedom and he is able to achieve unimaginative happiness.

Due to the so-called modernity, the life of the people has been burdened with hectic factors like work and routine. As a result, a modern man has become the slave of time. Obviously, the time is limited but the person has to do unlimited works. From morning to evening, the person is busy in following his schedule and tired up his work. It is very rare that a person gets time. As a result a person is deprived of the real pleasure that his life offers to him.

“We are bigger than our schedules” said Paulo and he was absolutely right. We are not born for being slave of time. In the name of the following the pace of time, we are trying to fly with it and consequently we have been enslaved. Besides, the concept of part of time jobs, single parents, two workers at home, the increase in the so-called standard of life, etc. are responsible for making us the slave of our schedules.

The writer suggests the people not to work overtime as well as not to have over desire. The so called options always drag a person to slavery. Therefore, a person should put some time for the unprepared schedules that he could feel the real bliss of life.

The writer doesn’t mean that we should not do our routine work but his anger is towards the over hectic life due to the so-called material prosperity. Moreover, he intends to make the people aware that unplanned schedules empower a person or reutilize him immediately. So it is necessary to break up the schedules time and again.www.paniroti.com/blog

Someone Is Stealing Your Life / -Michael Ventura / BA English

Someone Is Stealing Your Life

-Michael  Ventura

In this essay, the writer describes the exploitation, lack of freedom and the lack of authority that the most workers of the U.S.A. experience. The writer strongly advocates for the situation in which the workers are free to express their ideas, contribute in the decision making and get the finally atmosphere for working.

In this essay, the writer strongly advocates for the rights of working class people especially of the USA. The writer doesn’t mean that the workers should get equal profit and authority. However, he believes that the employers don’t have the rights to exploit or rub the like of the worker. At least, there must be the value of the workers contribution and his voice should be heard and included in decision making process.

Out of 52 weeks, a worker gets only two weeks paid holiday. In that sense, out of 6 years of servile, a worker gets only 12 weeks of his own. It is hardly 3 months. Similarly, it is a worker who stands for the company. In other words, workers are the life line of any company. But the tragically, the workers don’t have any decision making power. In a sense, they are just the puppet of their employers. They are almost treated as slaves.

According to the writer, the owner has taken the greatest risk of investing their money in the business. So obviously they must get a greater amount of profit. But the fact is that they must not exclude the workers from the authority. Truly speaking, the workers have every rights to know about their company, their product and the decision which are being taken. However, it is the workers who are victimized mostly when the company is bankrupted by the wrong decision.

The writer of this essay seems to be making a radical statement that the workers should get some share in the company in which they work. His ideas are not beyond criticism however his main argument is that the workers should get friendly atmosphere for their work and their contribution or the price of their sweat must be paid. Besides, he also encourages the worker to work against the injustice and work for their betterment. He also challenges the employers if they expect their workers to be passive and dance according to their time, it would be their greatest error.