Everything That Rises Must Converge Essay

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Human beings are often associated with having the feeling of pride in every action they do. It does not matter if the actions are good or morally wrong, the sensation of pride is still burning in every human’s soul. Pride, according to www.oxforddictionaries.com is a feeling of deep pleasure or satisfaction derived from one’s own achievements, the achievements of one’s close associates, or from qualities or possessions that are widely admired. In a more specific context, pride can be translated as the quality of having an excessively high opinion of oneself or one’s importance. People that are living with so much pride in themselves are said to be living in their own world as they cannot handle someone else getting the entire spotlight. But …show more content…
Julian’s mother is very proud of her ancestry and she is yearning to be recognized as someone who is better to the others especially the blacks. For example, she tells Julian how big was her grandfather’s mansion and that he owned a plantation with 200 slaves. And that clearly shows that she is trying to make herself superior than others by bragging about her ancestry’s fortune. On the bus, Julian’s mother strikes up a conversation with another passenger, conveying that she is relief that only the whites are on board. Because of her stance, she believes that the blacks should be better off as slaves, and if they really want to improve their living status, they should only do it on their own ‘side’ or people as the full integration might pose a social threat. By giving such opinion, it can be clearly seen that Julian’s mother is actually possesses ethnocentrism. Ethnocentrism is defined as judging another culture solely by the values and standards of one's own culture. And that is what Julian’s mother is doing. She is showing off her pride as a white people, and thus feeling that she is recognized for the people around especially when she is bragging about her grandfather’s fortune to

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