Question
| Please compose about 1-page of informal writing about your experience with the essay Preserving Cultural Identity One indicator of a prosperous nation is its endless capacity to preserve and develop its culture; that means saving its heritage and history while adopting new expressions for current times. Frequently, the idea of cultural preservation is interpreted as importance stagnation when, actually, history and heritage form a basis for advancement, growth, and innovation. In addition, history and heritage are the key sources that unify individuals of various ages and educational backgrounds into single community. As such, in a nation as various and intricate as the United States, the cultures of numerous communities are layered and challenged. Throughout the ages, multiple communities settle and move away, and each left some remnant, indicating who they were and why they had gone. In some cases they leave deliberately. In other cases they were forced to leave. However, some groups did not leave at all, and continue exhibiting and developing their culture in the new era. Such groups have stories to tell, stories that should be, celebrated, collected, and conversed. In fact, the tradition of storytelling not only helped individuals document various aspect of their history, but also gave the means for self-identification (Abriendo Las Cajas). The preservation and exploration of those stories can fundamentally contribute to forming a strong American nation. In a country built and developed by immigrants from different corners of the world, the very idea of understanding, exploring, and preserving cultural identity of cultural minorities is a fundamental component in comprehension and prospering of our country’s identity. Probably, no one could disagree that it is vital to perceive and know one’s personal background and cultural heritage. Still, in spite of the significance of history and culture, both members of community and governmental authorities do not commit adequate consideration and assets to preserving objects, spaces, oral stories, arts and other forms of cultural heritage that could facilitate the American contemporary cultural life. For example, preserving of New Orleans dance and music traditions is important for preserving the entire culture of the region (Baum 120). There are numerous approaches, mandates, and regulations on the objects dedicated to recognize, protect, and preserve heritage, both local and national. Yet, substantial and particularly immaterial cultural heritage and history remain undervalued until they begin to vanish (Hodgson). Individuals with deep roots in a community in some cases do not recognize with the potential dissipation of their heritage until they feel undermined by new communities or affairs that they believe to be infringing on their cultural or geographical area. In the country, where demographic movement is frequent, this feeling of imperilment can prompt severe clashes, particularly among racial and ethnic groups, concerning occurrence when different gatherings try to claim or recover their cultural identity. Despite the fact that cultural clashes can be found over the United States, especially in urban areas, there are likewise areas where history and heritage have been protected, conflicts have been eased, and individuals have turn out to be more deferential of the social legacy of others and more aware of approaches to save and advance their own. Additionally, these endeavors to protect, preserve, and develop cultural heritage could significantly contribute to building and developing a strong nation. All facts considered, it becomes possible to assume that preserving and exploring one’s cultural identity is essential as it allows establishing multi-faced, but still united nation. Thus, preserving cultural objects, places and oral stories is vital not only for recognizing and protecting a certain group, but rather for connecting this group to the overall identity of the county and establishing a single unity. Works cited Baum, Dan. ‘Nine Lives: Death and Life in New Orleans.’ Spiegel and Grau, 2009. Hodgson, Kimberley. ‘Community heritage and culture.’ American Planning Association, 2011. Abriendo Las Cajas. ‘Opening Boxes: Community Healing Through Stories’. YouTube, 2009. Web. 6 June 2015. |
Answer
My Experience with the Essay
This essay addresses the need for nations to preserve their cultural identities. I have learned very many things by reading the essay, one of them being the composite nature of the culture of the United States. This essentially means that the cultural heritage of the United States is a product of the different cultural groups that immigrated into the country and the unique experiences that influenced their way of life.
I also noticed that the essay has emphasized the need to preserve one’s cultural heritage. I agree with the author’s claim that in most cases, people underestimate the value of the symbols and remnants of their cultural heritage until it is threatened with destruction. On this basis, I feel that the cultural heritage of the United States as we know it today does not tell the whole story about the different people who have inhabited the land at one time or the other throughout the ages. My assumption is that along the way, some communities must have destroyed some of the country’s cultural symbols. This means that the historical account being presented today is incomplete.
As I read the essay, I pondered over the issue of how to attach adequate value to cultural heritage in an attempt to protect it. In my view, conflicts among different communities in the United States due to cultural differences can be avoided if every culture embraced the idea of the composite nature of the U.S. culture. My analysis of the essay makes me now believe in the existence of what may be referred to as the national culture of the United States. In my view, such a conception is essential for advancement and innovation in American society. More importantly, it can lead to the preservation of diverse cultures as well as the avoidance of cultural conflicts.
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