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Teacher's Comment: the Student Introduces a New Concept by Providing Several Examples from His Own Culture. Also, There Are Va

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Teacher's Comment: the Student Introduces a New Concept by Providing Several Examples from His Own Culture. Also, There Are Va Teacher’s Comment: The student introduces a new concept by providing several examples from his own culture. Also, there are various sources cited in this essay. It is clear that this essay is a product of research. The paragraphs are organized, and the thesis statement in the introduction paragraph is very clear. Değerlendirme: Öğrenci kendi kültüründen örnekler vererek yeni bir kavramı tanıtıyor. Ayrıca çok sayıda farklı kaynağı referans gösteriyor ki bu da bu yazının bir araştırmanın ürünü olduğunu gösteriyor. Paragraflar düzenli ve giriş paragrafında bir açık bir tez cümlesi mevcut. THE POWERFUL EFFECT OF CULTURE ON OUR THOUGHTS In this world, many great civilizations have existed. Each civilization has had their own distinct cultures, and their customs have been different. Many famous dynasties are famous for various things, such as the Egyptian-built Great Pyramids, Greek rulers and their philosophies, the Ottoman Empire and their ruling legacy. Moreover, Zimmermann (1758/1797) stated, “The inhabitant of the Ladones believe, that their language is the only one in the world, and therefore that all other nations of the earth are dumb” (p. 44). Zimmermann clearly states that Ladones used to believe that they were superior from other as they have their own language. Also, he thinks that others do not have a proper language. Thus, all other nations on earth are inferior to them. Furthermore, due to the accomplishments of their great ancestors, the descendants of these famous civilizations, who still live on the same ground and share same culture, seem to feel superior to others. This case is known as Ethnocentrism. According to Richard T. Schaefer (2008), Encyclopedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society, ethnocentrism is to think that your culture is the best and it should be the standard and in the top so that the other cultures should be compared to it (p. 465). Every Civilization has its own distinctive culture and traditions that we should celebrate diversity between us, rather comparing ourselves to each other. In the syllabus of Pashtun culture, I think melmastia and Khattak dance must be discussed because of several reason. In this essay, I will comment on ethnocentrism with respect to the cultural elements of Pashtun’s culture. The word Melmastia (Pashtun word) is translated as “hospitality”. It is one of the most valued characteristics of Puktuns. For Pashtuns, hospitality not only means food facilities and satisfying other needs, but it also means automatic guarantee of peace and security in the host household. Moreover, if you will ever ask Pashtuns which social characteristics separates them 1 from other so they will say “hospitality”. According to one military representative, “The Pashtuns were always friendly and welcoming…whenever we come along they rush out of the fields or compounds, dropping water cans or rakes, waving and jumping around as if we are something special”. These words clearly speaks about Pashtun culture that Pashtun’s hospitality is not restricted within our community, but also considering outsiders as one of us. In addition, Pashtun consider guest as gifts from God, hospitality is considered ‘a pious deed’ (Rzehak, 2011, 15). Furthermore, the characteristic of hospitality can be analyzed as follows: Firstly, Islam strongly supports hospitality. Secondly, it is claimed that hospitality is a traditional ethos of culture. In addition, the melmastia is a rule for both and under all circumstances, and guest needs to accept the host’s hospitality. In another place, American diplomats Howard and Teresita Schaffer explain: ‘Offering a visitor something to eat and to drink is a requirement; not to do so is insulting. […] The fact that many offices in the United States do not routinely offer coffee or tea to visitors is unsettling even for Pakistanis experienced in the ways of Washington’ (2011, p. 36). These words clearly tell us that melmastia have inspired people from other cultures and made them realized that it is an honorable thing to do. Further, this Melmastia culture is very similar to Middle Eastern culture of hospitality, as they are also very generous and openhearted people. I believe this is one of the best aspects to describe my culture, since it is an honorable attribute. The second thing, which I will talk about, is “Khattak dance”. In Khattak dance, men are typically dressed in traditional colorful clothing, with shiny swords in their hands and dancing on drumbeats. Furthermore, controlled footwork and flexible movements of the body on quick drumbeats with swinging of swords, and all the Pashtun from different age groups participate in it. Historically, it was performed by the men before going on a war, as a war practice. According to some journalist, Khattak dance traced back its roots to Greek dance and was dedicated to Athena (Greek God). The fast tempo at the beginning and end of the Khattak dance separates it from all the other folk dances around the world. Moreover, some of the Turkish dance such as Kılıç-kalkan is somehow similar to Khattak dance. Swords and shields are used in Kılıç-kalkan, but only swords are used in Khattak dance. Furthermore, the soldiers in the conquest of Bursa carried out Kılıç-kalkan and later it was performed on different stages in Turkey. On the other hand, Khattak dance was performed by the men before going on a war, as a war practice, but later was performed on different stages in Pakistan. I believe that Khattak is one of the most 2 beautiful way to show the world about the history of Pashtun culture because it portrays an original image of Pashtuns, unlike what media is showing. In addition, in different parts of the world, different cultures are practiced, and all cultures have something in common with each other. Therefore, we cannot assume that one culture is superior to another. Lastly, I believe there is a special identity among all ethnicities, and all these distinctions made us special. In conclusion, ethnocentrism is a practice that not only occurs in non-industrial cultures or tribes, but today it can be seen in various ethnic groups all over the world. Furthermore, many individuals have witnessed ethnocentrism so far. I believe that some people believes in the existence of ethnocentrism. Moreover, if we look around we can see different people from different ethnicities. Thomson et al. stated, “we rarely recognize … different approach to reality”. Thomson clearly states that our mindsets and thoughts are influenced by our culture, but we are unaware of it. Furthermore, every culture has its own way of doing things, and when a person from another culture encounters them and looks at how others do things, so a new insight is opened up for him/her. I believe that every culture has a different way and some cultures are even similar to each other. Lastly, we all comes from different cultures that is why we all have different perspective over different things. Therefore, it is not about who is superior or inferior, but about admiring the differences and benefitting from diversification as a whole. Reference list: Yousufzai, H. M., & Gohar, A. (2012). TOWARDS UNDERSTANDING PUKHTOON JIRGA. JUST PEACE INTERNATIONAL. Karrer, L. (2012). eCahiers de l’Institut [E-book]. Graduate Institute Publications. https://doi.org/10.4000/books.iheid.536 Coulson, A. B., MacLaren, A. C., & McKenzie, S. (2014). Tourism Management. Hospitality Codes and Social Exchange Theory: The Pashtunwali and Tourism in Afghanistan, 45, 134–141. https://pureapps2.hw.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/6707483/Afghan_Hospitality_Final.pdf 3 Richard T. Schaefer, 2008, Encyclopaedia of Race, Ethnicity, and Society, Volume 1, (p. 465) Zullfiqar. (2007, March). Khattak Dance. Dawn News. https://web.archive.org/web/20070329164532/http://www.khyber.org/culture/atan/khatta kdance.shtml 4 .
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