Everyone at some point grows old, however, how the elderly are treated and viewed in a society greatly varies depending on culture. Consequently, the way the elderly are cared for can be vastly different depending on the society in which they live. In some cultures, such as China, aging is celebrated, and the elderly are respected and cared for by family. While, in the United States, elders can be respected, but are often put into nursing homes, and are not cared for by their family. In The Giver, written by Lois Lowry, elders are respected and cared for, but not by their families. The articles, “7 Cultures That Celebrate Aging and Respect Their Elders”, and “How the elderly are treated around the world”, show how the elders are viewed and
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According to “7 Cultures That Celebrate Aging And Respect Their Elders,” in China, “Chinese families traditionally view filial piety and respect for one’s elders as the highest virtue, deriving from Confucian tradition.” Furthermore, this shows how the people in China habitually show high civility for seniors in the community. By saying that they traditionally care for their community elders, they are saying that it is customary to respect one’s elders. Typically, in China, children care for their parents and other elderly people. To care for your elders is a great sign of rectitude and morality. If the young in the community care for the elders, there will be less for the elderly to brood over. The elders presumably feel comfortable with their growing age, and are not apprehensive about self care. This corresponds to The Giver, for instance, since in chapter four, Jonas is solicitously bathing Larissa. On page 31 in The Giver, the text states, “Jonas thought Larissa had drifted into sleep, as the Old often did, and he was careful to keep his motions steady and gentle so he wouldn’t wake her.” Jonas’s tender movements when bathing Larissa manifests how his community believes they should care for the elders. Moreover, this corroborates the fact that The Giver is similar to China because the …show more content…
Some cultures like Chinese culture views elders as people who should be respected and cared for. This behavior directly corresponds to the behavior of citizens in The Giver, since both communities celebrate aging and encourage the youth to care for the old. Yet, there are some communities such as the United States view elders as a burden set upon society, since they no longer provide for the community. It is not even slightly prodded at to care for the elders in the community. This contradicts The Giver, as well as China, since they see elders as people who should be highly respected. Both of these cultures think that people should have a liability to care for the elderly. Growing old is an inevitable fact of life. How an elderly citizen is treated can be vastly different from culture to
According to “7 Cultures That Celebrate Aging And Respect Their Elders,” in China, “Chinese families traditionally view filial piety and respect for one’s elders as the highest virtue, deriving from Confucian tradition.” Furthermore, this shows how the people in China habitually show high civility for seniors in the community. By saying that they traditionally care for their community elders, they are saying that it is customary to respect one’s elders. Typically, in China, children care for their parents and other elderly people. To care for your elders is a great sign of rectitude and morality. If the young in the community care for the elders, there will be less for the elderly to brood over. The elders presumably feel comfortable with their growing age, and are not apprehensive about self care. This corresponds to The Giver, for instance, since in chapter four, Jonas is solicitously bathing Larissa. On page 31 in The Giver, the text states, “Jonas thought Larissa had drifted into sleep, as the Old often did, and he was careful to keep his motions steady and gentle so he wouldn’t wake her.” Jonas’s tender movements when bathing Larissa manifests how his community believes they should care for the elders. Moreover, this corroborates the fact that The Giver is similar to China because the …show more content…
Some cultures like Chinese culture views elders as people who should be respected and cared for. This behavior directly corresponds to the behavior of citizens in The Giver, since both communities celebrate aging and encourage the youth to care for the old. Yet, there are some communities such as the United States view elders as a burden set upon society, since they no longer provide for the community. It is not even slightly prodded at to care for the elders in the community. This contradicts The Giver, as well as China, since they see elders as people who should be highly respected. Both of these cultures think that people should have a liability to care for the elderly. Growing old is an inevitable fact of life. How an elderly citizen is treated can be vastly different from culture to