Clifford Geertz, Ralph Ellison and
There is deeper meaning behind the structure of societies rituals andcustoms. The works of the noted authors Clifford Geertz, Ralph Ellison andSusan Griffin explore the world beneath the words. They explore andinterpret three different cultures that are not alike in their practices, yetsimilar because of the underlying instincts that are inherent in all people.The essay "Deep Play: Notes on the Balinese Cockfight" by Clifford Geertz,helps outsiders to better understand the Balinese society through theactions and rituals of it's people. In Ralph Ellison's essay "An Extravaganceof Laughter," there are many insights to help people better understand thefeelings of a young African-American in a freethinking society. In "OurSecret" by Susan Griffin, the author "explores (the) connections between...an individuals life and the lives of others (402)". Geertz, Ellison andGriffin look closely at the societal rituals and actions to help themdetermine the underlying meaning behind them. The authors explain thehidden agenda beneath the actions that are expressed within the essays inthree ways: the first are the instincts that lay beneath the surface, and showthe primal need for certain reactions in
On the other hand, when the narrator of the second essay laughs, it isbecause he himself realizes his own fallibility, and is disconcerted by it. Finally is the need for structure within the chaotic rituals of a society. Every facet of their lives is structuredin a way that they never have to worry about "what comes next". Examples ofstructure are found in the rituals, beliefs, actions and unwritten rules of a culture. The Bali people, the American culture and the people in Griffin's essayall know what is and what is not proper treatment of other people of the same,and of different status. Griffins essay discussesthe ways that the officers, specifically Heinrich Himmler, use race, religion andhate to structure their society. In the essaythe narrator explains that there is a "whole encyclopedia of codes thatregulated proper conduct" (Ellison 650). When hedoes this, the white people around him can feel comfortable in their superiority. In the culture ofEllison's essay there is less room for tolerance than in even the Balinesesociety. When Ellison is in theSouth he knows to keep his eyes downcast and his feeling inside him. All three of these authors write ondifferent cultures, yet all somehow find the same connections. This would only occur when her mother had first stayed up allnight drinking.
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Acceptance Essays
