May 21 2008
Be a Cultural Detective! Individual Analysis
Be a Cultural Detective! Individual Analysis
Krystal Kang: Sudan
“The Land of the Kush” click here to view
The poem I have analyzed is called “The Land of the Kush”. It was written by Rudwan Himat. First of all, the poem tells us that Sudan has originated from the land of the Kush. “Land of Kush, in which two rivers run” It connotes that the two rivers are of great importance and significance. This also proves that the culture was maintained because Sudan has had rich civilization culture for generations. Also it is stated that Sudan is the ‘land of the blacks’. And this proves that they are African. ‘False identity’ suggests that they were conquered to the point that they lost their identity as a race. Originally, they were the land of the blacks and it also says the ancestors (blacks) did not defend the rights and country and allowed the Arabs to dominate. They portray the Arabs as the enemy and states that their rights are curtailed by enemy. And it helps us think that the injustice affects their daily lives. In the country, lions symbolize power, strength. And also, the names of the seemingly legendary figures sound somewhat tribal and native. Next, the writer mentions the ‘land of the brides’ that could signify that they were an attractive country and ‘the double bladed weapon’ can mean Sudan used to be a very powerful, strong, and skilled in fighting. From the tone of the author we can infer that they have great love for their country. And perhaps the author, a Sudanese African speaks in behalf of the whole African population in Sudan. There is a spirit of vengeance towards the Arab and the author claims the land for the blacks. The new generation has a dream to once again retrieve their land.
Be a Cultural Detective! Individual Analysis
Sam Gurnamal: Sudan
“No-King-as-God” click here to view
The fictional text that I have selected is an African legend called No-King-as-God. The text indicates that this story originates in a society that has faith in god and are strong are strong in their beliefs as show in this quote “There is no king like God.” The story’s main purpose or moral is to show us that when someone attempts to hurt others god will not be in his favor. This also displays that this story was created in a moral society and have ethical values. In he story the king pays the mans wife “cowries” (shells used as money or ornaments)as well as the man going fishing and later to uncover this rings. These two clues are indications that the geography of where this story comes from is near a sea or some kind of body of water. The story also states that there is a king this could confirm that this place’s political system is a monarchy. There are not any clues on dialect or family but through these few clues we can examine where this story originates from.
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Krystal, a strong analysis with a good use of quotes.
Sam, also a good analysis, with some reasonable assumptions made about the culture. Maybe a quote or two would help further.