Horace Miner - Body Ritual Among the Nacirema
Note: Your seminar grade will be determined by the quantity of your responses (how many questions you answer and how many other students you respond to) and the quality (how well you demonstrate an understanding of the ideas you're responding to, how detailed your responses are, how coherent and in-depth they are, etc.) |
Directions:
1. Read the essay by Horace Miner above.
2. Answer one of the following questions with a 3-5 paragraph mini-essay. Include quotes and specific references to the text in your answers!
- Our expectations : What kind of essay does Miner set us up to expect? Point to examples in the opening paragraph that show how he sets us up. In the end, how does he meet those expectations, and how does he rebel against them?
- Audience: Who was Miner writing this essay for? (Hint: it was originally published in American Anthropologist.) What might he have been trying to say to his original audience? Does it matter if you are a member of that intended audience? Why or why not?
- Magic: At the beginning and end of the essay, Miner refers to the Nacirema as having “magical beliefs and practice” (para. 1) and as being “magic-ridden” (20). What kinds of cultures are usually described in this way? Why does Miner use such terms to describe the Nacirema?
- Irony: Explain the irony of the last paragraph. Keep in mind that Malinowski, the author of the final quote, was writing from a functionalist point of view. In other words, he saw ritual as having a certain purpose or function in any culture, and the purpose as being unique to the smooth operation of that particular culture. What does this paragraph suggest about Nacirema rituals and the functional role they play in the society?
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3. Submit your response to the Assignment Chamber
4. Post your response to the Forum by midnight Monday, March 3.
5. Read all the other students' posts.
6. Respond to at least two other student's posts (more is better) . You will have until midnight, Monday, March 9, to read and respond to the other students' ideas in the website.
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