¶ … Cannibals think the current American culture (and that of the world as well) wouldn't surprise Montaigne at all. He notes that each culture seems to feel they are "right" and everyone else is "wrong," and this certainly hasn't changed in today's world. Many Americans seem to think they and their form of government are the best in the world, and others want what we have, even if they don't. We don't take much time to learn about other peoples and cultures, because frankly, I don't think most people care about anyone else but them. We have a very "me oriented" society, and I don't think that would surprise Montaigne either. What he talks about is a society and people who are so sure they are right that they feel superior to everyone else, and that continues today. We are sure of the rightness of our society, but we also aren't very interested in others. We will give generously when there is a disaster somewhere around the world, but chances are most of us don't know our next door neighbor. We can be very selfish and self-centered, and I think that comes from being so sure our ideas are right and "good."
We have very lofty principles for this country, from freedom and equality to democracy. However, I don't think a lot of us pay attention to them on an individual basis, because of the qualities Montaigne talks about. People are often smug and superior because they think they are better than immigrants, or African-Americans, or whoever they don't like. African-Americans and Hispanics have the same ideas, only reversed, so our society has big barriers between races and religions, even if we talk about freedom and equality. We are also the richest country in the world, but we still have crushing poverty in our own country. I think we talk a good talk, but in reality, we have all the problems of other societies, we just try not to think about them, or pretend they don't exist.
References
Montaigne, Michel D. "Of Cannibals." Victorian Web. 2003. 26 Jan. 2007. http://www.victorianweb.org/courses/nonfiction/montaigne/cannibals.html
I noticed the animals, the sensuality, and the angels flying to Heaven carrying off pieces of these "earthly delights," which made me wonder why they had to take sin or debauchery to Heaven. I also wondered what the four "islands" or buildings in the lake represented. One seemed to represent war, and other our easily "cracked" world under our feet. Obviously, all of the symbolism in the painting relates
Cannibals" is especially interesting when considering its content in the context of Roland Barthes' essay "Death of the Author." The former's description of individuals in the New World and his tendency to portray these respective people as being completely different from Europeans is actually meant to emphasize how he is certain that it is difficult and almost impossible for an outsider to understand them. Montaigne appears to detach himself
it's not that I don't think Bosch's culture would be enjoyable for a while, I simply believe that a long-term lifestyle like that would get very tiresome very quickly. It does not encourage intellectual thought or innovation, and it does not stimulate cultural growth and superiority. This type of culture would degenerate into hedonism or worse, while Michelangelo's culture of hope and beauty would stimulate growth, intellectual thought, and
George Orwell's 1984: The Danger That Abuse Of Power Poses To Individual Liberty There are several themes in George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four that are still relevant in our world today, which is evident if a process of analysis is used to draw parallels between the book and current day issues. One such theme is the danger that the abuse of power poses to individual liberty. Indeed, the preceding statement is as
This work provided an intensive discussion historical forces that were to lead to modern humanism but also succeeds in placing these aspects into the context of the larger social, historical and political milieu. . Online sources and databases proved to be a valid and often insightful recourse area for this topic. Of particular note is a concise and well-written article by Stephen Weldon entitled Secular Humanism in the United States.
4). This idea has since been abandoned. The mythology of the Amazons, a matriarchy of warrior women, has been discounted as no more than a myth, one deriving from the deep-seated fear on the part of males that they might lose their power and authority. In matrilineal societies, men tend still to monopolize the rights of power. Some Chinese anthropologists believe the stories of true matriarchal societies in some
Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.
Get Started Now