Anthropology

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Mark Shpyrka

Professor Worley

Anthropology 310

24 September 2013

Article Review #1

"Body Ritual Among the Nacirema"

After Reading "Body Ritual Among the Nacirema" which the word Nacirema spelled backwards is American as you pointed out in your Tuesday/Thursday class professor Worely. I noticed that Miner uses parody on these groups of people on how they have a ritualistic approach to religious ceremonies and how all of them work together as one during the rituals, also how they are obsesses with the human body. It made the people seem like the tools and devotions of medical rehearse they took part in were something they really weren't. He also conveyed very bad points about them in my perspective. His wording he used in his studies was unjust and cruel. He made them seem like animals from his perspective.

For example, what is an ordinary bathroom to us would be named a shrine, or mouthwash or anything face related were called magical potions; the mouth was seen particularly important, money was "gifts" and our sinks are referred to as "fonts".

English: Pancakes, eggs, sausage, and bacon.

B&W reproduction of an imaginary portrait of Horac...

Nacirema Dumpster on 2nd Street

When you analyze his wording in reality they were doing normal things like visiting the doctor or getting their teeth cleaned. My guess is because he didn't know what tools they were using it was strange to him. (You gave an example in class telling us how

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unsterile their tools are and how one anthropologist had went to get a tooth fixed up or ripped out and ended up getting hepatitis.)

All this makes me very curious and think a lot about how even I would look differently at cultures and probably see things out of my ordinary lifestyle if I were put in his shoes. This is probably how other people look at...