The Nanook Sociology

Improved Essays
Jock Sturges once said, “Different members of different cultures will think that some things are beautiful,” which is representative of the perspective and feeling I accumulated throughout examining the film. The Nanook of the North encompassed the broad distinction of self-reliance, life styles, and something in reference to other cultures. The distinction of the one culture, the Eskimos, amongst others emphasized the unique elements that define variation we experience that we come to appreciate or think are “beautiful.” The variation I observed made me self-reflect on our culture and the effects it creates on our opinions. I noticed in the film that Nanook as well as other individuals in that society and Eskimo group had personalities that

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    Nikiforuk uses rhetorical strategies to argue a point and persuade the audience, non-scholarly individuals, to his claim. There are many methods used to achieve this. Starting in the introduction Canada is glorified for what it used to be known for, then that image is quickly contrasted with the now dark and damaged (or destabilized) country because of the developing tar sands. This introduction, which uses pathos (a quality that evokes pity or sadness) by using strong words to induce negative emotions, quickly gives the reader a sense of uneasiness with the tar sands even without yet having heard any of the facts. The use of pathos is seen throughout the article in the form of language choice and imagery to sway the reader to the author’s desired side.(give some pathos examples).…

    • 547 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Native Americans have endured disease, colonization, and relocation from their homes. Much of their culture was drastically changed due to mission efforts and government intervention which led to massive acculturation. However, to claim that their culture was buried with their ancestors is a rather ignorant accusation. In other words, it was transformed to fit the view of modern society, but remaining in touch with their roots. To better understand this transformation, I have focused to analyze a painting by Oscar Howe (Native American) titled Rider which creates a unique blend of Native American and Western design.…

    • 454 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the second chapter of The Truth About Stories, Thomas King discusses how there’s only one way to look in order to be accepted as an authentic Indian. Because of the widespread ideology of what Indians look like it leaves little room for Native people and communities that don’t fit into the leathers and feathers look. When King is presenting his stories during “Indian Awareness Week” in chapter three, he shows up wearing a bone choker and a beaded belt buckle with a heart full of indignation; he tells his stories with so much emotion that people in the audience were moved to tears. But, after all of the presentations, the men from Washington were handed envelopes with pay checks for their time and King and the Mohawk presenter were given handshakes and a ‘thank you’.…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Margaret Laurence’s “The Loons”, and in Emma Lee Warrior’s “Compatriots”, similarly display the many adversities of the Native civilization throughout Canadian history. Struggling to find their place in this world, the Natives are forced to integrate to the dominant culture. Although they battle to find who they truly are, the Natives remained determined to dictate how they should find their identity. In both short stories, the protagonists, Piquette and Lucy face many hardships towards their Native identity. This leads them isolated from their Native culture and their traditions.…

    • 1183 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Some of us have repeatedly taken for granted what our culture has to offer. Certain individuals spend too much time pretending to be something they are not and too often forget to embrace the fact they are special in their own way. Others constantly judge people because of where they come from. Many think they are better than others and discriminate upon them heavily. Society has played a huge impact on the acceptance of cultural diversity over time and influenced negative beliefs to many in order to portray the view of a perfect individual.…

    • 1976 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Eskimos are an indigenous group of people that inhabit Alaska, Russia, Canada, and Greenland. These areas are known for its frozen, barren, and dangerous environment. Through time, Eskimos have adapted to to their natural world and developed numerous traditions and techniques to survive. Richard Nelson, an anthropologist, is known for his research on the indigenous people of Alaska. The majority of his work, focuses on the relationship between the people and nature.…

    • 673 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Native American characters and themes were popular inclusions in films throughout the 20th century; there were films that to a degree romanticized Native American culture and there were films that made a mockery of Natives. Important was that these films were very popular, as a result they were largely responsible for establishing the public’s concept of the Native American and of their culture, even for some young Natives. In a way, they were taking the culture of the Native American people again by defining it for the world; in inaccuracy there was a tragedy, in that they were misrepresenting a culture that they had earlier helped to…

    • 1683 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Canadian Identity

    • 1583 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Canada’s identity has always been considered to be a cultural mosaic of many international elements. On the surface, it may seem difficult to describe what exactly is the culture of this vast country. However, if one examines the history of Canadian art and compares it to the development of Canadian identity, one can easily discern their correlation. The rise of Canadian artistic expression in the 20th century greatly contributed to the Canadian identity by illustrating the growing nationalism in accompaniment to a stronger sense of independence. The evolution of the various sectors of art, such as the unique Canadian landscapes painted by the Group of Seven, the distinctive aboriginal folklore and songs gathered and promoted by Helen Creighton,…

    • 1583 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    We as humans must go through many times of crisis in our lifetime, and how we respond to these difficult times speaks to our personality and perception of life. When an individual is placed in a crisis situation, they will form their own perspectives as to how best to deal with the situation. This reaction, in turn, will serve as a reflection of their values and views of life. We Must Have Dreams by John Amagoalik reflects this idea in its ability to define Amagoalik’s values based upon his reactions to differing conflict situations he is faced with. Amagoalik demonstrates many different aspects of the same situation, and shows his differing interpretations to each aspect, which defines his perspective of Inuit culture, as well as some aspects…

    • 1586 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the article “Body Ritual Among the Nacirema,” Miner successfully persuades the audience that American’s fixation and obsession with the body’s appearance and well-being is absurd by using pathos to help persuade the readers to think the same way. He is able to achieve this by allowing his readers to form a view of this “tribe” before they realize mid-way through the essay that this article about people with bizarre customs and rituals are actual modern-day American’s. The author is writing this essay to the general public. He is doing this to inform his readers of a culture called the Nacirema. These people partake in rituals that seem unfamiliar to modern-day humans.…

    • 633 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Explicating effective instances of cultural universal besides norms, Balmes’ 2010 movie, Babies, through the conflict perspective analyses the cultural differences between the cultures of Namibia, Mongolia, Japan and the United States of America. While the communities are geographically and demographically independent, they are equally different in terms of traditions, customs and values. Nevertheless, the inherent elements of human survival and necessities are constant throughout the societies in form of cultural universals. An element, pattern, trait, or institution common throughout human civilizations, cultural universals can include government, marriage, music, language, religious rituals, family, food, shelter, play etc. Explored through the conception of family, shelter, food and play, the documentary evidently ignites this aforementioned idea of cultural universals.…

    • 1207 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Arguing the Feelings of Native American Mascots In “Appropriating Native American Imagery Honors no one but Prejudice,” Amy Stretten argue “Racial stereotyping, inaccurate racial portrayals and cultural appropriation do not honor a living breathing people. Plain and simple, cultural appropriation- especially when members of the culture protest the appropriation - is not respectful” (Stretten par.7). In short, Stretten is arguing that the way society goes about “honoring” Native Americans is offensive and should be discontinued.…

    • 853 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The effect the European American’s culture had on the Native Americans is still very prominent today because the stereotypical American Indian still persists both in life and literature. By erasing their languages and teaching European ways exclusively, the Native American culture has slowly disappeared. The culture has been slowly degraded by an increase of acceptance of Native American stereotypical attributes such as alcoholism, laziness, and gambling addictions among others. Indigenous people were deeply affected by European American culture and have been fighting stereotypes to rebuild the foundations of their identity that have been neglected throughout a painful history. Often times, stereotypes can be positive, but more often than…

    • 731 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    From our interpretation of the fictional short story "One Good Story, That One" by Thomas King, it suggests parody of the religious account of The Garden of Eden (i.e. Adam and Eve). We, as a group, came to the consensus that King seemingly writes from the perspective of a stereotypical Indigenous person who is recounting the story to the best of his ability. Looking at this piece of literature from an educational perspective, it offers an opportunity for students to critically examine the intention behind what is being presented throughout the story. As a group, we decided that this story would be most effective for students to examine in secondary grades. With elementary grade level students, they may have not yet received enough education to have creditable knowledge to draw from when examining this rhetorical piece of literate and, as such, might interpret this differently than King has intended.…

    • 523 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Little Big Man challenges typical American narratives of history through the inclusion of numerous Natives American characters with multidimensional roles in order to help promote the idea that they were merely the victims by European settlers during the colonial days, the real “savages.” The film’s main character, a white man who plays plays the role of both a European settler and a disguised Native, helps expose the brutal realities of the frontier, by his own people against the Natives who take him in at a young age and treat him as one of their own, despite stereotypes that depict them as ‘uncivilized.” The film posits the Natives in a positive light despite their usual depiction as “savages,” the aggressors, and perpetrators of violence,…

    • 1239 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays