Nacirema Readings
Describe the type of activities that Miner and Thompson were critiquing or satirizing.
American/Western culture, daily activities, work culture, dentist visits, hospitals, automobiles, etc.
How does the combined use of diary entries paired with statistical passages about abuse impact this reading? Why do you think Carter did this?
- Pairing diary entries with statistical passages highlights contrast between reality and data
- the statistics can not capture her emotional, human experience of abuse
- true understanding means having both objective and subjective perspectives
By blending the two, Carter challenges the idea of pure objectivity and suggests that true understanding requires both subjective and objective perspectives.
What literary form does the author use to combine storytelling with research and reflection?
Autoethnography
What literary device(s) are present in this quote, please define the device(s) and explain purposes:
"... the natives return to the holy-mouth-men year after year, despite the fact that their teeth continue to decay" (Miner, p. 505).
Irony, Symbolism
What literary device(s) are present in this quote, please define the device(s) and explain purposes:
“The house holds many secrets… behind the locked doors and drawn curtains” (p. 1193).
Symbolism, Imagery, Juxtaposition
What literary device(s) are present in this quote, please define the device(s) and explain purposes:
"Stalking is an insidious, misunderstood beast" (p. 143).
Metaphor, Personification, Symbolism, Alliteration
How does irony in the Miner reading illustrate the Nacirema's rituals?
Miner is simply describing American culture, but makes it seem exotic or primitive. He is trying to shed light on the hypocrisy of the anthropology community, who often describe other cultures' norms as being inferior to Western culture.
What symbols appear in Carter's reading?
Points for mentioning any of the below:
Journal --> a safe place
Body --> trauma, memories
House --> a prison, place to return to
Secrets --> shame, lies, isolation
How do the stylistic choices of the author (bold text, use of colons, etc.) impact the meaning and structure of the essay?
Example: "Seven years: the length of stalking" (p. 144).
Intensify emotional impact of information that follows, connect data and numbers to author's personal experience.
Please describe an interpretive framework in "The Mysterious Fall of Nacirema". Define it, and describe how Thompson uses it in this reading.
Marxist Criticism, Reader-Response, Structuralism, Ecocriticism, Historical/Cultural Contextualism
Please describe an interpretive framework in "How Much Subjectivity is Needed to Understand our Lives Objectively". Define it, and describe how Carter uses it in this reading.
Feminist/Gender Studies, Structuralism, Reader-Response, Pyschoanalytic Criticism, Biographical Criticism, Formalism
Please describe an interpretive framework in "Highlighting Numbers". Define it, and describe how the author uses it in this reading.
Feminist/Gender Studies, Structuralism, Reader-Response, Pyschoanalytic Criticism, Biographical Criticism, Formalism
How does Thompson's and Miner's pieces differ from each other?
Miner criticizes anthropology community, Thompson is more critical of Western social culture.
How does the title relate to the topic of the article?
Objectivity is not sufficient to understand emotional effects of abuse, subjectivity is needed to understand the human experience, especially with abuse.
Why might an autoethnographic voice be particularly suited to narrating traumas from stalking?
Autoethnography: research method that combines personal experience and academic analysis to explore broader meanings and contexts.
- provides authenticity and emotional depth to experiences like stalking, which can be overshadowed by purely objective perspectives