Rites of Passage Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Rites of Passage - Research Paper ExampleThis gives him the energy and spirit to enter the next stage with valor and delight. The theme undersurface is that such rites help us stay connected to our natural events of life or life cycle. A person is able to go through a happy flashback of his life when he thinks in old age how cheerfully he entered each stage and coped with the hardships that come with every phase. This paper intends to comp be and business the rites of passage in modern the Statesn and Indian cultures. Modern American society celebrates many rites of passage, like baby showers, bar mitzvahs, quinceaneras, and school graduations. There are very few definite events that mark a persons shift from adolescence into adulthood. We see an absence of clearly defined rites of passage in the contemporaneous culture, which have prevailed in olden times in America. Indian culture also does not have very clearly defined rites of passage pull out some important ones like birth, marriage and funeral. However, there are some similarities that both cultures share, for example grief is symbolized with color. American society relates black with grief and Indians link white with sadness. For example, on funerals, Americans wear black and Indians wear white. There are to a greater extent differences in the carrying out of the rites of passage than similarities, in the two cultures. ... The expectant grow is dressed in a heavy dress with a lot of garlands. Elderly ladies shower blessings on her, and women share tips and tricks of niggleing a child. The home deity is worshipped. The mother is given the gifts which are meant for her and not the baby. American culture celebrates adolescence ceremonies both for boys and girls, to honor their stepping into puberty. The most prominent adolescent rite of passage celebrated in America is the quincearena. Quinceanera celebrates a girls fifteenth birthday thus commemorating her past fifteen years into a get-together wher e people related to her make cheery and congratulate her for her coming adulthood (Alvarez). Her journey from childhood to adulthood is recollected and she transforms from a naughty little kid into a delicate, pretty lady. The invited families are encouraged to take the customs that have special meaning to them and to add to the customs as they wish. That is what makes the celebration unique and very special. In contrast, in Indian culture, there is no such ceremony that celebrates the passing of fifteen years or steeping of a girl or boy into the sixteenth year of life. American practices have more or less become dependent on the economical and psychological aspects of life. For example, funeral practices in America depict true picture of capitalism and materialism. Corpse is displayed in the public for last viewing. This is a general acceptance of the fact that death is expected of all human beings and none of us resist to it. Corpses, nowadays, are active with makeup and expen sive clothes before burial. Memorial services and cremations are also in practice. Hence, American funeral is an organized and