Horace Miner's Body Ritual Among The Nacirema
After reading Laura Bohannan’s Shakespeare in the Bush and Horace Miner’s Body Ritual Among the Nacirema, a common theme presents itself between the two articles. Ethnocentrism, particularly within the U.S., is elucidated through the actions of Bohannan while in West Africa, and the reaction of any American reading Miner’s piece about the “magical” Nacirema culture. In Bohannan’s piece, she struggles to prove that Hamlet is a universal story that any culture can easily understand. She speaks to the elders of the Tiv people, and is shocked to conclude that they do not understand Hamlet the way Americans understand it. In Miner’s piece, he cleverly presents the idea of the culture of the Nacirema people who are sadistic in nature, and lack logic …show more content…
A few examples of this include: a daily mouth ritual that “consists of inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth,” a daily body ritual men perform by “scraping and lacerating the surface of the face with a sharp instrument,” and special women’s ceremonies where they “bake their heads in small ovens for about an hour.” By the end of his article, you realize that “Nacirema” spelled backwards is “American” and he is speaking of our culture. The hog hairs are toothbrushes, the men’s ritual is shaving, and the women’s ceremony is getting their hair done at the salon. When initially reading the piece, you are disgusted by the rituals and practices of these people, but when it turns out to be our culture, the only reaction you can have is shock for the new realization. This shows our lack of understanding towards other cultures. It was easy to judge the Nacirema people, but when you realize you are the Nacirema, suddenly things are not as clear.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Shakespeare in the Bush and Body Ritual among the Nacirema are two pieces that truly reveal the ethnocentrism within the American culture. Americans tend to do things and believe they are supreme because it is what they have been taught since a young age. However, pieces like this are made to provoke the thought process and question the system. It’s these kind of stories that slowly teach us to become less ethnocentric and more culturally
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