Ethnocentrism: Modern Monster of Today's Society

“Ethnocentrism”

Six million Jews murdered during the Holocaust. (“The Holocaust”) 800,000 people died during the Rwandan genocide. (“Genocide-Rwanda”) An entire civilization wiped out when the British occupied the Tasmanian Islands. ("Invasion of Tasmania - Aboriginal Land") Genocide is a direct result of ethnocentrism, a monster terrorizing out society. “Ethnocentrism is the view that a particular ethnic group’s system of beliefs and values is morally superior to all others.” ("Ethnocentrism") There are three ways to combat ethnocentrism: education, awareness, and laws.
Ignorance serves as a propeller for ethnocentrism. However, this can be countered through education, specifically, education about other cultures. At a young age, children are taught to have pride in their country or heritage. Yet excessive pride, known as nationalism, is internecine cultures. The first known case of genocide happened in the Tasmanian Islands in 1804. ("Invasion of Tasmania - Aboriginal Land") There was tension in the beginning when the British did not honor the Aboriginal sharing and exchange system. ("Invasion of Tasmania - Aboriginal Land") “Europeans did not understand what was expected of them. They saw the Aboriginal people as beggars and thieves.” ("Invasion of Tasmania - Aboriginal Land") The British thought the Tasmanian Aborigines were primitive people ("Invasion of Tasmania - Aboriginal Land") Feeling that they were superior to the Tasmanian culture; the British carelessly decimated a nation. They even went so far as to make a museum show casing the skulls of these “primitive” people. ("Natural History Museum Returns Aboriginal Remains to Australia Culture24") If the British, instead of assuming superiority, educated themselves about the culture, this genocide may have never occurred. The same event occurred during the Holocaust. After World War I, many Germans begin to blame the Jews for the war. Hatred came to a rise when Hitler came into power. During World War II, the Nazis deported millions of Jews to concentration camps where they were killed in a gas chamber, cremated, starved to death, worked to death, or died from medical experiments. (Doris 13) Educating people about other cultures should occur at a young age. Children should be taught to take measure of a culture using that culture’s standards. Only then can ethnocentrism be eliminated.
Another solution to ethnocentrism involves raising awareness. Those who have never taken an anthropology class have probably never heard about the genocide in Tasmanian Islands. If it were not for a movie, many people would be unaware of the Rwandan genocide. Perhaps, if more people were aware of the horrors of genocide, it would never occur. Sometimes, people are aware of genocide but separate themselves from the issue, ignoring it thinking it could never happen to them. “Unlike the instigators of the killings of Armenians in 1915, and of Jews and Roma in 1941-5, no-one tried to keep the genocide in Rwanda a secret. Journalists and television cameras reported what they saw, or what they found when the genocide was over.” (“Genocide-Rwanda”) Any culture could possibly be subjected to genocide. Therefore, every culture should be aware of the fact.
Finally, ethnocentrism and genocide can be conquered through laws. There should be dire consequences for acts of genocide. These consequences should be enacted through an international tribunal. An international tribunal successfully brought the Nazis to trial during World War II. ("The Nuremberg Trials and Their Legacy") The International Military Tribunal indicted 24 defendants in the Nuremburg Trials. ("The Nuremberg Trials and Their Legacy") Of these 24, the judges sentenced 12 to death; three to life imprisonment, four to prison sentences from 10-20 years, and 3 were acquitted. ("The Nuremberg Trials and Their Legacy") Therefore, it can possibly work. In addition, the United Nations should pass an international law condemning genocide.
Ethnocentrism is one of the most lethal problems affecting society with the potential to wipe out entire populations; ethnocentrism needs to be combated. There are three ways to combat ethnocentrism: education, awareness, and laws. Genocide still occurs today, most recently in Darfur and Somalia and unless steps are taken to eliminate ethnocentrism, genocide will occur for centuries to come.














Works Cited
Bergen, Doris. War & Genocide: A Concise History of the Holocaust. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2003
"Ethnocentrism." Philosophy - AllAboutPhilosophy.org. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. .
"GENOCIDE - RWANDA." Peace Pledge Union. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. .
"The Holocaust." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. .
"Invasion Of Tasmania - Aboriginal Land." Indigenous Australia - Aboriginal Art, History and Culture. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. .
"Natural History Museum Returns Aboriginal Remains To Australia Culture24." Home Culture24. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. .
"The Nuremberg Trials and Their Legacy." United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. .

boast

riddle

Traipsed and trodden on, this traveler’s land-sea
Spread far and wide, a sign of springtime
Running and romping upon its emerald path
Dripped and decorated by miniscule morning tears
Earth-blanket, bountiful and beautiful, spread everywhere
Short yet abundant, rarely unseen

motifs

Certain motifs appear throughout many Anglo-Saxon works. “The Seafarer”, “The Wife’s Lament”, and “Bede” are no exception. One motif that appears in all three of these works is that of the bitterness of exile and isolation. “The Seafarer” is an elegy about a man who leaves his home voluntary to spend his life on the sea. His self-imposed isolation or exile sets a tragic tone for the elegy. “It tells how the sea took me, swept me back and forth in sorrow and fear and pain, showed me suffering in a hundred ships, in a thousand ports, and in me.” (pg 87) “The Wife’s Lament” speaks of the banishment of a wife by her husband’s kinsman. She bitterly laments her exile and tells of the hardships she has suffered since. “All that has changed and it is now as though our marriage and our love had never been, and far or near forever I must suffer the feud of my beloved husband dear.” (pg 93) “Bede” speaks of Caedmon’s self-imposed exile. Though his exile is not bitter like those of the seafarer and the wife, his isolation is equal. Caedmon gives up his life in the world to live in seclusion as a monk writing hymns. “The abbess was delighted that God had given such grace to the man, and advised him to abandon secular life and adopt the monastic state.” (pg 86)
Another motif that occurs in these three works is that of change. Abrupt change is a common occurrence in each of these works. For example, in “The Seafarer”, the old man abruptly decided to leave his home again to return to the sea. “And who could believe, knowing but the passion of cities, welled proud with wine and no taste of misfortune, how often, how wearily, I put myself back on the paths of the sea.” (pg 88) “The Wife’s Lament” speaks of the abrupt banishment of the wife by her husband and his kinsman. “So in this forest grove they made me dwell, under the oak-tree, in this earthly barrow.” (pg 93) The abrupt change in “Bede” occurs when Caedmon decides to give up his life as a non-clergy member and become a monk. “For Caedmon as a deeply religious man who humbly submitted to regular discipline and hotly rebuked all who tried to follow another course.” (pg 86)

themes and techniques

11. What themes and techniques do poems of the Anglo-Saxon period have in common with heroic narratives like Beowulf?


The poems of the Anglo-Saxon period contain themes and techniques common to heroic narratives like Beowulf. For example, “The Seafarer”, “The Wife’s Lament”, and Beowulf all contain the theme of loyalty to a lord. In “The Seafarer”, this loyalty is to God. “Under his lord, Fate is stronger and God mightier than any man’s mind.” (pg 91) In Beowulf loyalty is displayed through the actions of Beowulf’s followers. One lone man, Wiglaf, returns the help his lord, Beowulf, fight against the dragon. It is because of this loyalty that Beowulf is able to defeat the dragon. In “The Wife’s Lament”, the wife displays loyalty to her husband despite being banished by his kinsman. “Full often here the absence of my lord comes sharply to me.” (pg 93) These three poems also contain sea imagery and a similar theme lamenting their inevitable fates. For “The Seafarer”, his inevitable fate is to return to an isolated life on the sea. The inevitable fate of the wife in “The Wife’s Lament” is to remain in exile. Beowulf’s fate is to die.
Bede also contains similarities to Beowulf. These similarities involve structure and the section called “Caedmon’s Hymn”. “Caedmon’s Hymn” contains the same rhythm as epic poems. There are alliterations in each line, “The majesty of his might and his mind’s wisdom”. In addition, there are four stressed syllables, and a caesura. Like Beowulf, “Caedmon’s Hymn” uses certain terms to describe God. In “Caedmon’s Hymn”, God is described as “Lord of Glory”. In Beowulf, Hrothgar calls God, “King of Glory”.

Elegies

Elegies such as “The Seafarer” and “The Wife’s Lament” appeal to readers everywhere by presenting personal experiences. Both elegies make the readers sympathize by expressing misery. In “The Seafarer”, the seafarer speaks of the bitter and lonely life on the sea. “No man sheltered on the quiet fairness of earth can feel how wretched I was, drifting through winter on an ice-cold sea, whirled in sorrow, alone in a world blown clear of love, hung in icicles.” (pg 87) The elegy goes on to reiterate his pain and how he inevitably left home multiple times to answer the call of the sea. “The Wife’s Lament” speaks of a different type of misery, the misery of a wife separated from her husband. Banished by her husband’s kinsman and left alone to live in the woods, the wife laments her “friendless exile”. “A friendless exile in my sorry plight, my husband’s kinsmen plotted secretly how they might separate us from each other.” (pg 92)
Those these two elegies share the same bitter misery, “The Seafarer” strays from this motif towards the end. After line 64, the seafarer finds solace in the thought of an afterlife and God. “And a song to celebrate a place with the angels, life eternally blessed in the hosts of Heaven.” (pg 89) The seafarer is able to endure his life of isolation on the sea because of God, “Him who honored us, eternal, unchanging creator of earth.” (pg 90) In contrast, the wife remains firmly encased in her misery till the end of the elegy. Her last line speaks of the grief her husband must feel after being separated from her. “Grief must always be for him who yearning longs for his beloved.” (pg 93)

Ideal

The most important bond in Anglo-Saxon society was that between a lord and his retainers. How do “The Seafarer” and “The Wife’s Lament” reveal the Anglo-Saxon ideal of loyalty and the tragedy of separation or exile from one’s lord?

Loyalty between a lord and his vassal characterizes one of the ideals of Anglo-Saxon society. It was believed that fame, happiness, success could only be gained through loyalty. “The Seafarer” illustrates this idea of loyalty as well. After line 64, the seafarer laments that there are no rulers present on Earth anymore. He then gains solace from his isolated lifestyle through allegiance to his only lord, God. “Under his lord, Fate is stronger and God mightier than any man’s mind.” (pg 91) In contrast, in “The Wife’s Lament”, the wife remains loyal to her lord, her husband. Despite being banished by her husband’s kinsman, unable to see her love, she reflects on the grief her husband may feel. “Full often here the absence of my lord comes sharply to me.” (pg 93)

Grendel’s Mother

6. In a brief essay, describe Grendel’s mother. Base your description on the details you find in the text, and add details of your own. Tell what she looked like, how her voice sounded, how she smelled, how she walked. Describe what she ate and how she passed her time. Use as many sensory details as you can: You want your readers to feel they are meeting the monster face to face. How do you want our readers to feel about the monster? Do you want horror, or are you interested in making her somewhat sympathetic? The words you choose will make the difference.

The thought of Grendel’s mother brings terror to the hearts of the Danes. However, she is gravely misunderstood. Cursed to live as an outcast as a result of her descendant’s sin, Grendel’s mother “lives in secret places, windy cliffs, wolf-dens where water pours from the rocks, then runs underground, where mist steams like black clouds, and the groves of trees growing out over their lake are all covered with frozen spray, and wind down snakelike roots that reach as far as the water and help keep it dark”. It is only in these places where she and her son are safe from men, seeking to hunt them down. Feared for her monstrous appearance, Grendel’s mother’s claws constantly drip blood as a result of protecting her lair from surrounding monsters. “The fight brought other monsters swimming to see her catch, a host of sea beasts.” She spends her days doting on her only son. Every day, she wakes up in the morning and prepares breakfast. Slithering on the floor like a snake, Grendel’s mother cleans the cave from top to bottom. Then she drives off the beasts constantly attacking her cave. Towards the end of the day, she prepares dinner. One day Grendel, sorely spoiled and envious of the sounds emitting from Herot, decides to seek his feast there. Though fearful of the wrath that may befall them but unable to deny her only son, Grendel’s mother allows him to leave. Every night, she waits patiently for her son, recalling the troubles that befell her ancestor, Cain, who decided to commit murder.
After learning of the attack on her only child, in grief, Grendel’s mother attacks Herot. Upon seeing her son’s arm hanging high from the rafters of Herot, Grendel’s mother attacks blindly with grief and carries off one of Hrothgar’s men and her son’s arm. Lying in wait for her son to die, she notices a stranger invading her lair. This stranger, the man who attacked her son, has come to kill her. She welcomes the opportunity for revenge. Unable to pierce the warrior’s stranger outer skin, Grendel’s mother drags him back to her lair. “And all at once the greedy she-wolf who’d ruled those waters for half a hundred years discovered him, saw that a creature from above had come to explore the bottom of her wet world. She welcomed him in her claws, clutched at him savagely but could not harm him.” There a fierce struggled ensued. Her voice, rugged with grief and rage, cried for revenge. Finally she had her chance. “And in an instant she had him down, held helpless. Squatting with her weight on his stomach, she drew a dagger, brown with dried blood and prepared to avenge her only son”. However, she was unable to pierce his chain mail. Then the warrior stole a sword from the walls, an ancient sword made by giant ancestors and passed through Grendel’s mother family. Using this sword, he slew Grendel’s mother. There, in her dark lair, she died unable to avenge her son and destined to return to the hell of her ancestors.

Elements of Literature

Anglo-Saxon poetry, like that of the epic Beowulf, contains many of the same literary elements. For example, they all embody Anglo-Saxon ideals, such as allegiance to a lord. All Anglo-Saxon poems contain alliteration in order to obtain a singsong effect and stress syllables. These literary elements can also be observed in the lines of Caedmon’s Hymn. The hymns praise God, thus showing loyalty to the Lord. “When Caedmon awoke, he remembered everything that he had sung in his dream, and soon added more verses in the same style to a song truly worthy of God.” (pg 85) Caedmon’s Hymn also contains the alliteration present in Anglo-Saxon poetry. For example, examine lines 2 and 3. Line 2 states “The majesty of his might and his mind’s wisdom” while Line 3 states “Work of the world-warden, worker of all wonders”. The alliteration in Line 2 (majesty, might, mind) is also where the stressed syllables occur. The same applies for Line 3 (work, world-warden, worker, wonders). Similar to Anglo-Saxon poetry, Caedmon’s Hymn also contains four stressed syllables per line and a caesura in each line.

Grendel

Grendel, the archetype of enemies, represents evil. This evil is apparent in everything from his origins to his lair. Descendant of the first murderer and spawned by demons, Grendel “bears God’s hatred.” Grendel dwells in a deep, dark marsh surrounded by misty hills, bogs, trees and fog. Vexed by the sound of laughter and music emitted from Herot, Grendel decides to terrorize Danes. Becoming an “infamous killer”, Grendel attacks the Danes in the night, chewing and grinding their bones. Dubbed the “afflicter of men, tormenter of their days”, Grendel continues to feast on the Danes until the hall of Herot becomes deserted. The Danes flee Herot, while the remaining ones are so desperate that they attempt pagan ceremonies to rid themselves of Grendel. Grendel, “Almighty’s enemy” symbolizes death, evil, hell, and the devil.

universal themes

Typical of epic poetry, Beowulf embodies the attitudes and ideals of Anglo-Saxon Society. Warfare dominated Anglo-Saxon society. Therefore, warriors were highly important members of society. Superior physical strength, valor, and honor represented the ideal characteristics of a warrior. Beowulf consisted of all of these characteristics. By even declaring that he would fight Grendel, Beowulf displays courage. Crossing the treacherous seas to Denmark proved his courage. Finally, the Danes had someone to rely on. In addition to courage, Beowulf had honor. Not only did he come to Herot to protect the Danes, Beowulf came to repay a debt. “My people have said, the wisest, most knowing and best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes’ Great king.” Hrothgar once helped Beowulf’s father so Beowulf wanted to repay the favor. Beowulf also had superior physical strength. For example, though no weapon could pierce Grendel’s body and none could kill him, Beowulf succeeded. “The infamous killer fought for his freedom, wanting no flesh but retreat, desiring nothing but escape; his claws had been caught, he was trapped.” Loyalty was also an ideal characteristic of Anglo-Saxon society. Accompanied by 14 loyal men, Beowulf successfully crosses the sea to Denmark. With the help of a loyal follower, Beowulf defeats the dragon plaguing the Geats. Through loyalty to the liege or lord, Anglo-Saxons could gain fame and success. Boasting, a typical practice in Anglo-Saxon society can be seen in Beowulf. For example, upon first meeting Hrothgar, Beowulf brags about his strength. “I drove five great giants into chains, chased all of that race from the earth.” “I swam into the blackness of night, hunting monsters out of the ocean, and killing them one by one, death was my errand and the fate they had earned.”
The epic of Beowulf also reveals some universal themes. For example, heroism is a theme widespread in literature and society everywhere. Like Anglo-Saxon society, present-day society value courage, loyalty, and honor. Americans honor their soldiers for the valor in battle by awarding them the Purple Heart. Veterans, valued members of society, receive priority for employment. Loyalty in battle is important, with one motto being, “Leave no man behind.” Fame and success is an ever-present goal, whether it is those hoping to becoming celebrities or gain success in school. Fictional heroes embody the characteristics of superior physical strength and a willingness to protect the people. The exploits of these heroes, such as Superman, Spiderman, and Batman, have been passed from generation to generation. The theme, everyone needs a hero, is expressed thoroughly by the epic Beowulf.

theme

The poems of the Anglo-Saxon period contain themes and techniques common to heroic narratives like Beowulf. For example, “The Seafarer”, “The Wife’s Lament”, and Beowulf all contain the theme of loyalty to a lord. In “The Seafarer”, this loyalty is to God. “Under his lord, Fate is stronger and God mightier than any man’s mind.” (pg 91) In Beowulf loyalty is displayed through the actions of Beowulf’s followers. One lone man, Wiglaf, returns the help his lord, Beowulf, fight against the dragon. It is because of this loyalty that Beowulf is able to defeat the dragon. In “The Wife’s Lament”, the wife displays loyalty to her husband despite being banished by his kinsman. “Full often here the absence of my lord comes sharply to me.” (pg 93) These three poems also contain sea imagery and a similar theme lamenting their inevitable fates. For “The Seafarer”, his inevitable fate is to return to an isolated life on the sea. The inevitable fate of the wife in “The Wife’s Lament” is to remain in exile. Beowulf’s fate is to die.
Bede also contains similarities to Beowulf. These similarities involve structure and the section called “Caedmon’s Hymn”. “Caedmon’s Hymn” contains the same rhythm as epic poems. There are alliterations in each line, “The majesty of his might and his mind’s wisdom”. In addition, there are four stressed syllables, and a caesura. Like Beowulf, “Caedmon’s Hymn” uses certain terms to describe God. In “Caedmon’s Hymn”, God is described as “Lord of Glory”. In Beowulf, Hrothgar calls God, “King of Glory”.

tone

The epic closes on a somber, elegiac note—a note of mourning. What words or images contribute to this tone?


An epic extolling the adventures of Beowulf, the epic begins a somber note and ends the same. Beowulf, responsible for freeing the Herots from the exploits of the monstrous Grendel and his mother, rules Geat for 50 years in peace. However, this peace is threatened when a thief steals a jeweled cup from a dragon’s lair. Enraged by the theft, the dragon lays waste to the land of Geat. Though considerably old, Beowulf succumbs to his heroic nature. To save the lives of the people of Geat, he and a group of eleven warriors travel to the dragon’s lair to kill it. The ensuing battle results in the desertion of Beowulf’s warriors. However, with the help of one warrior (Wiglaf) who returns, Beowulf is able to defeat the dragon. Yet a fatal wound obtained during the battle results in the subsequent death of Beowulf. While the plot of the ending of the epic is tragic itself, the author of Beowulf uses words and images to contribute to this somber and tragic tone.
The author of Beowulf contributes to the somber mood of the epic by describing Beowulf’s final request. Beowulf, fatally wounded during the battle with the dragon, requests that Wiglaf brings him the dragon’s treasure. Upon seeing this treasure, Beowulf states, “To the everlasting Lord of All, to the King of Glory, I give thanks that I behold this treasure here in front of me, that I have been thus allowed to leave my people so well endowed on the day I die” (47). It is unceasingly tragic that a hero such as Beowulf, who worries not of death but of how his people will live without him, should die. The mood is further darkened by the request of Beowulf regarding his burial. Asking that his pyre be placed in a tower so that all may see it, Beowulf bestows his war attire on the young Wiglaf. To Wiglaf, Beowulf says, “You are the last of us, the only one left of the Waegmundings. Fate swept us away, sent my whole brave high-born clan to their final doom. Now I must follow them.” (47-48) With these final words lamenting the end of his clan, Beowulf dies. The epic ends on a final mournful note with the Beowulf’s warriors praising his heroic deeds and bewailing his tragic death. “They said that of all the kings upon earth, he was the man most gracious and fair-minded, kindest to his people and keenest to win fame.” (48)