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Not On My Watch

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Language is very key to every human as well as culture. Through the use of language we are able to create meaning and make sense of the world around us. There is verbal and non verbal language and both are significant for expressing our thoughts and feelings. There are different languages all over the world. Though some languages may have similarities, there are times certain things have different meanings in different languages. Most of the time, the language we use, reflects our culture and our culture also reflects our perception of the world. Thus, the use of language influences our perception of life and our reality. We are able to assign meanings to certain things based on what it represents in our culture. This is why it is essential to understand the language of a group to better understand the people. I speak two languages fluently. That is the English language and Asante twi. I remember a few years ago, I tried to teach a korean family friend how to speak English. It was very...
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Perception of Life in America

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  Representation is very key especially in the media. The images we see depicted through the media plays a huge role in shaping our views and well as even our identity. In the past, most kids preferred white dolls compared to black dolls because there weren't  enough black dolls on the market. There was also not much black representation in the media. Once you start to see people like yourself represented positively in the media, it builds up one's confidence and hope into achieving or attaining such greatness. In recent times, the media has depicted an image of Kamala Harris and a young girl's shadow. She represents change and possibility to a lot of young girls. This is similar to how most black people felt about Obama becoming the first black person to be the President of the USA. Representation in the media is very important and should not be underestimated with regards to its impact especially on the younger generation. Students do experience isolation and marginality....
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My Name is Khan

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  The movie My Name is Khan is a hindi-language film which was directed by Karan Johar. The movie features some of India's best actors like Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol who played the leading roles in the movie. The movie is set before the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States of America as well as the events that took place after the 9/11 attacks especially from the Indian perspective. The film was also set in India and the United States. The movie "My name is Khan" is about Rizwan Khan who is an autistic muslim. The movie opens to him in an airport as he seeks to meet the President of the USA, George Bush to speak to him. At the airport, he starts to pray in Arabic and this resulted in him being profiled by the authorities. As he was searched, with nothing to show that he was  a "terrorist", he informed the authorities of his mission to meet the President and to let him know that "my name is Khan and I am not a terrorist". The story demonstrates th...
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Stereotyping and American Indians

Stereotyping occurs when we place a group of people in a box without giving a chance to really know the person as an individual. We categorize the group based on the little information we have about them and make a general judgement about them. Most of the time when we stereotype, we are limited in learning more about the culture as we choose to only view the people based on the little information we have about the group. Stereotyping can influence a child's cultural identity. This is because not only does it limit the child's understanding or perception of the world. It also creates a sense of being better than another group and can lead to prejudice or discrimination against one group. Instead of a child stereotyping, it is essential for the child to be taught to  respect, understand and learn the various aspects of a people's culture. This can shape a positive cultural identity for the child especially with regards to how he views his culture and the culture of others. F...
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The Last of the Mohicans

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  The Last of the Mohicans is a movie which was directed by Michael Mann. It is a 1992 film set in the 18th century specifically 1757 during the Indian and  French war. This film primarily focuses on the Mohicans who are the last surviving tribe of the Native Americans. The film starts with the french army attacking Fort William Henry which was controlled by the British. Uncas, his father Chingachook and half brother Hawkeye also know as Nathaniel Poe lived in peace with the British. The film revolves around Uncas, the remaining leader of the Mohican tribe,his adopted brother Hawkeye and the two Munro sisters Cora and Alice as well as the villain Magua . The first encounter between Uncas, Cora and  her sister Alice  was when the two sisters together with Major Duncan were  on their way to visit their father at Fort William Henry. On their way, they encountered  an attack by a group led by Magua who belonged to the Huron tribe and was an ally of the frenc...
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Cultural History

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  As a christian, my idea about death is shaped mainly by my christian values and some aspect of my culture. I believe that everyone will die one day and what matters most is the legacy we leave behind for others.  I do believe in heaven and hell and the idea that once someone dies they are judged by how they lived and spend eternity either in heaven or hell. In the Asante culture, there are similar beliefs with regards to what happens to the individual when he dies. There is the belief that the soul wanders around for 40 days before going to the next world to perhaps begin a new life there. I do believe that how people perceive death influences the way they live their lives. There are certain cultures that believe in reincarnation and the idea that if you live a good life you will be reincarnated to be a better person in your next life and if you were bad or "evil" you may be reincarnated to be an animal or as a human but with lots of misfortunes due to your bad deeds. This ...
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LESSONS FROM THE FAMILY

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  As a child, I together with my siblings were trained to always show great respect towards the elderly. This was one thing we learnt at the very early stages of our lives. We were taught to always greet the elderly, allow them to talk first no matter what and just hold the elderly in high esteem. In my family, the elderly is always looked up to as the source of advise and training. I remember constantly visiting my grandparents when growing up and during those visits we we were given sound advice about life and generally encouraged when we spoke about issues that felt like a burden at that point. In my family, conflict is always dealt with directly, often with an elder person being the mediator in the conflict.  Depending on the family, for example in my nuclear family, decisions are always made jointly by my parents but when it comes to the extended family, there is an individual who is referred to as the "elder of the family" and he in consultation with other older people ...
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