American Traditions
America is the most ethnically diverse country in the world. When it was discovered, people from all over the world flocked here to try and start a new life. In the end, we ended up hosting people from Britain, France, Africa, Ireland, Mexico, Japan, and many others. It turned us into one of the most culturally diverse places as well. However, just because America doesn't have one national culture, that doesn't mean we don't have traditions. We actually have many traditions that are still honored to this day. Recently, I heard a woman from Pakistan speak about her culture and the traditions that she has. She also mentioned that many people from her country and others believe that America is a very uncultured place and holds no real traditions. To me, that didn't make much sense. A country that is founded by multiple cultures ends up keeping the traditions that they bring with them.
A wedding in a country like Pakistan is a very sacred commitment. It is something that is held in very high esteem, and that shows in the way that they celebrate the marriage. The minimum ceremony time lasts for three days all the way up to two weeks, and it is the most costly aspect of ones life. This is one of their greatest traditions and practically everybody in the country celebrates a wedding in the same manner. However, weddings in America are also held in a very high manner. Even though everybody celebrates them a little differently, they still all mean the same thing. It is a gathering of family and friends to celebrate the love that two people share. Weddings have been going on in the United States for centuries, and won't stop in the near future. There are thousands of weddings conducted every year and getting married is something that almost everyone expects to do in their lifetime. It has even become a social standard; not ever having been married almost screams that something is wrong with you. I believe that getting married in America is just as important and as great of a tradition as in any other country around the world.
Another tradition in America comes around the date November 24, Thanksgiving dinner. The tradition of Thanksgiving started when the Pilgrims first arrived in America, almost four centuries ago. Ever since then it has been something that American families celebrate every year, no matter what ethnicity. Even though it was only Pilgrims and American Indians that were there on Thanksgiving, everybody still celebrates the holiday. It is an American holiday that as a citizen, you should celebrate. Just like any other national holiday it tells a small part of your country's history. Even though people believe in different Gods, or are a part of different cultures, they are still all American citizens and honor the country's past.
Just like most other things in life, I think that many traditions depend a great deal on money. I know that most traditions aren't suppose to be about money and that they are about honoring the past of your culture, but most big traditions require money to be spent. It all depends how much you want to spend and the way that you prioritize what is important. For example, weddings in Pakistan are the most important celebration, meaning that the most money will be spent on them. The citizens choose to make weddings the most lucrative tradition because they feel that your family is the most important thing in life. In America, family isn't as important and you probably wouldn't blow your savings on a wedding. Other things such as your mortgage, food, cars, or clothes might be high on your list as well. This fact also reveals that America is a little bit more materialistic than Pakistan. However, the amount spent on a tradition does not decrease its value. Weddings are still regarded as very important in America even though they aren't as grand or elaborate.
Other than the two that I have mentioned, the American people celebrate many other traditions, no matter what culture they are from. Something as simple as eating a Thanksgiving dinner, or watching the fireworks on the fourth of July are traditions. Voting in elections every four years or watching a football game every Sunday count as traditions. A tradition doesn't need to be a grand celebration; it doesn't even need to cost thousands of dollars. A country doesn't need to contain only one religion or culture to have traditions, just people that have faith in the place that they live. I believe that traditions never stop growing and that America is still developing new ones, even with all its diversity.
Monday, April 16, 2007
Thursday, March 15, 2007
Haiku
A wilted tree stands
Daggers of icicles hang
Surrounded by life
For my haiku there are a couple different kigo's. It could either be the word wilted or icicles, but with either one, you get the same feeling of winter. One thing about winter is that it is generally a very cold, dark and dead time. The majority of plants are dead and have no leaves on them anymore. But even in the winter time, life still goes on. Many animals are living their lives as is nothing has changed, except the weather. Humans as well, you can't put your life on hold simply because the season has changed. The twist at the end has to do with contrasting life and death. The words wilted and dagger refer to death while the last line discusses how life is still abundant.
Daggers of icicles hang
Surrounded by life
For my haiku there are a couple different kigo's. It could either be the word wilted or icicles, but with either one, you get the same feeling of winter. One thing about winter is that it is generally a very cold, dark and dead time. The majority of plants are dead and have no leaves on them anymore. But even in the winter time, life still goes on. Many animals are living their lives as is nothing has changed, except the weather. Humans as well, you can't put your life on hold simply because the season has changed. The twist at the end has to do with contrasting life and death. The words wilted and dagger refer to death while the last line discusses how life is still abundant.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Ancient Voices Paper
It is pure jade, a wide plumage, your heart, your word, Oh Father! Ehuaya.
You pity man, you watch him with mercy! Only for the most brief moment is he next to you, at your side! Ohuaya ohuyaya.
I am a prisoner, a hostage to a group of native tribesmen. People that I have neither seen nor heard of ever before. They are speaking a different language, I can’t understand. It is a tongue that I have never heard before. They are dressed in the most peculiar manner. I think they are wearing costumes, but only of animals; like birds, snakes, and jaguars. They act like animals as well, very barbaric. They appear to be warriors but wear no armor. They don’t hold guns or swords; they use spears and small knives. I don’t know where they are taking me. We have been walking for ten days now through the jungle. I haven’t eaten a good meal in days and am beginning to get scared. Where are they taking me? What will happen to me when I get there? Are there more of them? I am very worried.
I was captured on a beach. I had heard rumors of great treasures in this land and I wanted an adventure. My name is Alejandro Gonzalez, and I am a Spanish sailor. After hearing of Christopher Columbus’s discovery I couldn’t wait to leave my dreary life and start over new, go someplace exciting. I left in the year 1507 and made my way towards the new world, at only twenty six years old. I docked after weeks of travel and instantly found myself in this precarious situation. They surrounded me after moments of arriving and I have been in their possession ever since.
It has now been three weeks. The trail has gotten more treacherous and even more dangerous; swimming through swamps, climbing rocky mountains and also just eating enough to survive. Last week, one of the natives was eaten by a crocodile while crossing through a river. I am now on a constant watch of any sort of animal, insects as well. I have read that the jungle is home to many poisonous insects and snakes, and I wouldn’t want to die in some land far from home. I do have a better idea of where they are taking me though. A fellow captive has learned some of their language over the past few weeks. He says that we are going to a city, a city deep within the jungle. It is the capital of their empire and is called Tenochtitlan.
We have arrived! After two months of travel and almost dying from exhaustion and hunger we reached our destination. The city of Tenochtitlan, very surprisingly, was a magnificent site. I realized that it took an amazing level of intelligence and sophistication to build. It is filled with tall buildings, roadways, canals, irrigation ditches, fields full of crops, and even street vendors. However one of the most amazing accomplishments was the four bridges that were built. Since the city is located on an island inside a large lake, bridges were there for people to travel in and out of the city. The roadways are lined with hundreds of people trying to sell goods and I then realize that they even have a working economy. As I go deeper into the city I am even more amazed. Tenochtitlan appears large enough to rival cities such as Madrid, Paris, and London. It is much more advanced than I could have ever imagined. I then look into the heart of the city and spot a tall pyramid. The pyramid reminds me of the ones that the ancient Egyptians built, but then I notice something else. One side of the pyramid is completely stained with blood. I then jump back into the reality of the situation that I am in, and become scared. I am still a prisoner and now my biggest fear is that I will die as well.
I am taken into a building and while we are walking through I look inside a room and become amazed. The room is filled with treasure; including, piles of gold and silver, many different precious stones and entire statues made from jade. I, and most people, have never even seen or heard of riches this ample, let alone see it. This is the treasure that I had heard about, but never expected finding it would come at such a price. I continued walking and just imagined what fate was coming my way. They placed me into a small, dark room; probably used as a holding cell. I began thinking about how my life has been and what a mistake it was to come here. I came for an adventure and ended up in a trap. I had been waiting a couple hours, just sitting with my thoughts, when they came for me.
---------------------------------------------------
The captive could have only imagined what was to be done to him. Even though these people were very sophisticated in their architecture and government, their religious beliefs were barbaric and inhumane. The captive never knew the Gods that these people worshiped required a human sacrifice daily. The human heart was believed to be necessarily sacrificed to the sun god, Huitzilopochtli, for the sun to rise the following morning. The moment he was captured, he had been pegged as a sacrifice and had no way of knowing or changing his fate. He could only stand on top of the pyramid praying. Moments later, as his bloody heart glistened in the sun, his lifeless body rolled down the pyramid, staining it with more blood along the way.
You pity man, you watch him with mercy! Only for the most brief moment is he next to you, at your side! Ohuaya ohuyaya.
I am a prisoner, a hostage to a group of native tribesmen. People that I have neither seen nor heard of ever before. They are speaking a different language, I can’t understand. It is a tongue that I have never heard before. They are dressed in the most peculiar manner. I think they are wearing costumes, but only of animals; like birds, snakes, and jaguars. They act like animals as well, very barbaric. They appear to be warriors but wear no armor. They don’t hold guns or swords; they use spears and small knives. I don’t know where they are taking me. We have been walking for ten days now through the jungle. I haven’t eaten a good meal in days and am beginning to get scared. Where are they taking me? What will happen to me when I get there? Are there more of them? I am very worried.
I was captured on a beach. I had heard rumors of great treasures in this land and I wanted an adventure. My name is Alejandro Gonzalez, and I am a Spanish sailor. After hearing of Christopher Columbus’s discovery I couldn’t wait to leave my dreary life and start over new, go someplace exciting. I left in the year 1507 and made my way towards the new world, at only twenty six years old. I docked after weeks of travel and instantly found myself in this precarious situation. They surrounded me after moments of arriving and I have been in their possession ever since.
It has now been three weeks. The trail has gotten more treacherous and even more dangerous; swimming through swamps, climbing rocky mountains and also just eating enough to survive. Last week, one of the natives was eaten by a crocodile while crossing through a river. I am now on a constant watch of any sort of animal, insects as well. I have read that the jungle is home to many poisonous insects and snakes, and I wouldn’t want to die in some land far from home. I do have a better idea of where they are taking me though. A fellow captive has learned some of their language over the past few weeks. He says that we are going to a city, a city deep within the jungle. It is the capital of their empire and is called Tenochtitlan.
We have arrived! After two months of travel and almost dying from exhaustion and hunger we reached our destination. The city of Tenochtitlan, very surprisingly, was a magnificent site. I realized that it took an amazing level of intelligence and sophistication to build. It is filled with tall buildings, roadways, canals, irrigation ditches, fields full of crops, and even street vendors. However one of the most amazing accomplishments was the four bridges that were built. Since the city is located on an island inside a large lake, bridges were there for people to travel in and out of the city. The roadways are lined with hundreds of people trying to sell goods and I then realize that they even have a working economy. As I go deeper into the city I am even more amazed. Tenochtitlan appears large enough to rival cities such as Madrid, Paris, and London. It is much more advanced than I could have ever imagined. I then look into the heart of the city and spot a tall pyramid. The pyramid reminds me of the ones that the ancient Egyptians built, but then I notice something else. One side of the pyramid is completely stained with blood. I then jump back into the reality of the situation that I am in, and become scared. I am still a prisoner and now my biggest fear is that I will die as well.
I am taken into a building and while we are walking through I look inside a room and become amazed. The room is filled with treasure; including, piles of gold and silver, many different precious stones and entire statues made from jade. I, and most people, have never even seen or heard of riches this ample, let alone see it. This is the treasure that I had heard about, but never expected finding it would come at such a price. I continued walking and just imagined what fate was coming my way. They placed me into a small, dark room; probably used as a holding cell. I began thinking about how my life has been and what a mistake it was to come here. I came for an adventure and ended up in a trap. I had been waiting a couple hours, just sitting with my thoughts, when they came for me.
---------------------------------------------------
The captive could have only imagined what was to be done to him. Even though these people were very sophisticated in their architecture and government, their religious beliefs were barbaric and inhumane. The captive never knew the Gods that these people worshiped required a human sacrifice daily. The human heart was believed to be necessarily sacrificed to the sun god, Huitzilopochtli, for the sun to rise the following morning. The moment he was captured, he had been pegged as a sacrifice and had no way of knowing or changing his fate. He could only stand on top of the pyramid praying. Moments later, as his bloody heart glistened in the sun, his lifeless body rolled down the pyramid, staining it with more blood along the way.
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