Topic

Cultures, Subcultures and Proverbs

Instructions

To show how culture changes over time, identify 2 behaviors that would have been considered “bad, wrong, terrible, or punishable” (mores) in your grandparent’s generation that in today’s culture are seen as “not a big deal” (folkways). Explain. Then identify 2 behaviors that would have been considered “no big deal” in your grandparent’s generation that in today’s culture are seen as “bad, wrong, terrible, or punishable” today. Explain.
This question allows you to demonstrate your understanding of culture and “cultural lessons”. Read the Dr. Seuss story – The Big Brag. Summarize the story, and identify “the cultural point” conveyed through this story.
One of the most recognized aspects of the Shakers is all the rules they seemed to have to follow. Some seemed very important and some seemed insignificant or almost silly. The Shakers had no more cultural rules than we do, we just don’t realize how many rules we are surrounded by daily. For instance, you are supposed to walk on the right side of the hallway, you are supposed to chew with your mouth closed, brush your teeth regularly, females are to sit in a certain way, men avoid standing next to each other at the urinal, and thousands of others. To show you understand how many cultural rules we must follow every day, identify 5 rules in our culture that you are expected to follow that might seem silly or insignificant but none the less are rules for this culture.
Some of the proverbs we covered seemed a bit dated or irrelevant to our times. One example would be: All skill is in vain if an angel pees in the touch hole of your musket. Who uses a musket anymore? What is a “touch hole” on a musket? An update offered to this was all skill is in vain if an angel pees on your flash drive. Or if you are a baker: all skill is in vain if an angel pees in your cake batter. For this question you are to update the proverb in your own way. Do not use any computer examples (as it was used above) or the baking example. Explain the cultural meaning of your “new” proverb.
The sociologist Norbert Elias was quoted as saying about proverbs: They often receive an unambiguous meaning only in and through the situation in which they are used. But in a specific situation they are often strikingly apt. Explain what Elias means by this statement. Select a proverb from the list in section 2 and describe a situation where it was “strikingly apt” in your own life. Provide as much detail as you are comfortable sharing to explain your response.
Using the traits of “subcultures” and “counter-cultures” covered in class, answer the following questions: What did you like about the “Shaker Life”? What did you dislike about the “Shaker Life” What traits would lead you to classify the Shakers as a subculture? What traits would lead you to classify the Shakers as a counter-culture? Would you classify the Shakers as a subculture or a counter-culture? Why? Could you live as a “Shaker”? Why or Why not? Think of a group that you currently [or previously] belong to (a club, a team, a church, etc.) and apply the characteristics of subcultures/counter-cultures to that group. Which of the characteristics did your group have and which did it not? Would you classify the group as a subculture or a counter-culture? Why?
Read the Islamic Sociologist Ali Shari’ati’s (On The Sociology of Islam) explanation of the story of Cain and Abel. Read the article and answer these questions: According to the author what does “Cain” represent? What does “Abel” represent? According to the author what was the “meaning” of Cain killing Abel? Summarize in your own words, how the author interprets the overall meaning of the story.
Read the summary of the Rastafarians. Answer the following questions: Who do the Rastafarians believe is their “Messiah”? When was this “Messiah” born? When did he die? What are the 3 colors that represent the Rastafarians? What does each color represent? Identify 3 cultural beliefs of the Rastafarians. Identify 3 norms of the Rastafarians. What traits lead you to classify the Rastafarians as a subculture? What traits lead you to classify the Rastafarians as a counter-culture? Would you classify the Rastafarians as a subculture or a counterculture? Why?

SECTION 2 – PROVERBS

For this section, demonstrate your ability to determine the “cultural meaning” of a proverb. Here is a list of proverbs. Choose 10 proverbs from the list below and describe the “cultural meaning” of each of the 10 proverbs you selected. Limit each answer to no more than 2 sentences per proverb.

When an old man dies, a library burns down If the wife sins the husband is not innocent

All sunshine makes a desert He who lies on the ground can fall no further

The small boat should not try to be a big boat Silence is the door of consent

Be correct yourself, before you correct others He who lends to a friend makes an enemy

Half and orange tastes as sweet as a whole one Enjoy drinking the wine but do not become drunk by it

If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys Rooster today, feather duster tomorrow

One does not go to Hell to light a cigarette Even the fierce tiger will not devour its kittens

Better a lie that heals than a truth that wounds Better to prevent than heal

No matter how long the night, the day is sure to come

An honest man does not make himself a dog for the sake of a bone

He that seeks trouble never misses I sing the song of the person whose bread I eat

One cannot ring the bells and walk in the procession

The miser and the pig are of no use until dead

I wept the day I was born and everyday shows why

The only real equality is in the cemetery I tell it to my dog and he tells his tail

Give praise to the young and they will flourish

Those who enjoy skiing downhill had better enjoy climbing uphill

Don’t rush to dump your rain water when you hear the sound of thunder

Answer preview

Culture is something that keeps changing over time. There are some behaviors that were frowned upon fifty years ago, but are now acceptable in our generation. These two behaviors are homosexuality and same sex marriages. In the past, anybody who had homosexual tendencies was shunned, seen as abnormal and any public show of such behaviors was punishable, even by legal laws. These homosexuals even tied to find secluded areas like private clubs to meet, but they were always sought after and punished by authorities. There were also laws that banned same sex marriages, it was not allowed under any circumstances. There are also two behaviors that were okay with our grandparents, but are now unacceptable. These two behaviors include polygamy and wife inheritance.

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